Former Cleveland Councilman Basheer Jones sentenced on charges of fraud

Editor’s Note: This story contains previous video from 19 News.

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Former Cleveland City Councilman Basheer Jones was sentenced to two years, four months, and must pay $143,000 in restitution and also serve three years of probation after his release.

He pleaded guilty last December to federal charges.

Jones, who previously represented Cleveland’s Ward 7, was charged on Nov. 25 in a two-count information with conspiring to commit wire fraud and honest services fraud.

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The DOJ said Jones, 40, used his role as a public official for personal financial gain by seeking to defraud multiple community stakeholders out of more than $200,000.

Federal authorities claimed Jones and a romantic partner financially benefitted by deceiving nonprofits to provide funding to move projects forward in Cleveland and Ward 7.

Instead, those funds were diverted to Jones, the partner and to other associates, according to the release.

The DOJ said the defrauding of nonprofits took place from Dec. 2018 to June 2021.