Former Niles Mayor Infante Sentenced to 10 Years

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Former Niles Mayor Ralph Infante has been sentenced to a decade in prison for public corruption that took place during his 24-year tenure as the city’s mayor.

On May 7, Infante was found guilt on one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, 13 counts of tampering with records, one count of unlawful interest in a public contract, two counts of theft in office, four counts of operating a gambling house and one county of falsification.

Visiting Judge Patricia Ann Cosgrove also ordered Infante to pay more than $51,000 in restitution to the city and state.

Infante served as mayor of Niles from 1992 to 2016 and was indicted in November 2016, initially on 56 criminal charges. The case was prosecuted by the Ohio Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Section after an investigation by the state auditor’s Public Integrity Unit.

Niles had been in a state of fiscal emergency since 2014.

“Today’s sentence shows that public officials will be held accountable when they abuse their positions for personal gain,” said Attorney General Mike DeWine in a release.

Added Auditor Dave Yost, “This case is a stern reminder that no one, even an elected official, stands above the law.”

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.