CLEVELAND — Frank Russo, who while serving as auditor was a central figure in the infamous Cuyahoga County corruption scandal, died Saturday at the age of 72.
Sources close to his family confirm Russo passed away following a week-long stay at Cleveland Clinic's Hillcrest Hospital in Mayfield Heights. He had apparently been on life support for an undisclosed condition when his family decided no more could be done.
From his election to Mayfield Heights City Council in his early 20s, Russo quickly rose through the ranks of Cuyahoga County politics, first as recorder as finally as auditor in 1997. The Democrat was one of the most powerful figures in Greater Cleveland and won re-election several times, but even early on, cracks began to appear in the façade.
A guilty plea for dereliction of duty earned Russo a suspended jail sentence in 1998, and only foreshadowed what was to come a decade later. In 2008, FBI agents raided Russo's home and office, helping reveal the massive bribery scheme that shook the county government to its very core.
Dozens of officials were indicted, and the investigation revealed Russo and former county Commissioner Jimmy Dimora were positioned at the top of scandal pyramid. But while Dimora denied profiting from his position, Russo admitted guilt and turned on his longtime allies, testifying on behalf of federal prosecutors.
In 2010, Russo resigned and admitted taking more than $1 million in bribes, gifts and trips in exchange for jobs, contracts and political favors during his tenure in county politics. He was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $6 million in restitution, while Dimora went to trial and was convicted in 2012 on 32 criminal counts including racketeering, bribery, conspiracy, and tax charges. He received a 28-year prison term and continues to deny any wrongdoing, still actively appealing his convictions.
Russo's cooperation with federal prosecutors led to his penalty officially being reduced to 14 years, but in May 2020, his request for compassionate release was granted amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with prison officials citing his declining health. Dimora, who contracted the virus while incarcerated at the Elkton Correctional Facility and who uses a wheelchair, was denied the same release.
The misconduct of Russo, Dimora and others led voters in 2009 to approve a sweeping reform bill that replaced the three commissioners with a single elected executive along with an 11-member county council. Russo's former position of auditor was among several more eliminated, with much of its former duties now handled by the fiscal officer.
Dimora still harbors resentment towards Russo to this day, believing his one-time friend had gotten off easy while leaving him to rot behind bars. In a 2018 interview with 3News, Dimora claimed Russo was the true "Godfather" of the criminal operation and that he had "made a deal with the devil."
"I'm not talking about the government," Dimora further clarified. "I actually mean Russo made a deal with the devil."
At the time of his death, Russo was in the process of divorcing his husband Michael Calabrese, with each spouse accusing the other of "gross neglect and extreme cruelty." The pair married in Massachusetts in 2010 as Russo's case was playing out, but the union was not formally recognized in Ohio until five years later, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons also confirmed Russo's passing. 3News has reached out to a family member for comment.