CLEVELAND — East Cleveland Mayor Brandon King has been indicted on several corruption charges including theft in office, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley announced Thursday.
A Cuyahoga County grand jury handed down the indictment charging King, 56, with unlawfully authorizing city contracts with businesses owned by King and his family members, among other "criminal ethics violations," O'Malley's office said. King is also accused of improperly providing a city vehicle and thousands of dollars worth of gas cards to former city councilman Ernest Smith, 49, who was also indicted.
The state of Ohio will request the Ohio Supreme Court to suspend King from office as the criminal case unfolds, citing a state law that allows public officials to be removed from office if they are charged with a felony related to official conduct.
“Mayor Brandon King demonstrated a complete disregard and disdain for the rule of law,” O’Malley said. “The citizens of East Cleveland deserve better. The investigation continues.”
King is charged with the following offenses:
- Two counts of Theft in Office
- Four counts of Having an Unlawful Interest in a Public Contract
- Four counts of Representation by Public Official or Employee
- One count of Filing a False Disclosure Statement
- One count of Soliciting Improper Compensation
Smith was indicted on the following charges:
- One count of Theft in Office
- Two counts of Theft
- One count of Soliciting Improper Compensation
- One count of Misuse of Credit Cards
According to O'Malley's office, King authorized a public contract leasing office space in a Euclid Avenue building owned by his company, King Management Group Limited, to the city's domestic violence department. The contract, which prosecutors said was in place from Jan. 1, 2019 until last Wednesday, Oct. 2, saw the city pay King's company $14,184.21 per year in quarterly installments.
King is also accused of benefitting from a city contract with American Merchandising Services, another company owned by King and his family members. O'Malley's office said the city bought $5,803.17 worth of cleaning supplies from the company beginning in March of 2019 through February of 2022.
The charges involving Smith date back to Smith's time as councilman for Ward 3. According to O'Malley, King improperly provided Smith a city vehicle from January 1, 2018 to March 31, 2022. King also allegedly gave Smith two gas cards, which Smith used to buy $6,791 worth of gas on the city's dime.
If King is convicted of the charge of soliciting improper compensation, he will be barred from holding any public office or "position of trust" in Ohio, per state law.
According to the prosecutor's office an investigation by the Ohio Auditor of State and the Ohio Ethics Commission remains ongoing.
King's tenure as mayor has been dogged by controversy. In recent months, King has been accused by councilmembers and the city's firefighters union of misappropriating funds that were supposed to go toward a new fire engine and faced questions over the purchase of a dump truck. King has survived two attempts by voters to recall him from office, one in 2022 and again in 2023.
