Former Cuyahoga County auditor Frank Russo died after a stay in the hospital, his family announced in 2022. He was 72 years old.
Russo acknowledged taking part in the widespread county corruption case, which involved judges and other local officials, by accepting more than $1 million in bribes in exchange for contracts and political favors.
Russo’s sentence was reduced from 22 years to 14 years in 2013 as a result of his testimony against Jimmy Dimora, a former Cuyahoga County Commissioner.
Russo was freed from prison and put under house arrest in 2020 due to coronavirus worries.
At Butner Correctional Institution in North Carolina, the 70-year-old was still serving a term of more than four years at the time.