Politics & Government

Pat Coyne Pleads Guilty to All Five Counts

House arrest will continue till sentencing Sept. 7

Former Councilman Pat Coyne pleaded guilty to this morning in U.S. District Court.

The charges carry a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison, but a plea agreement calls for him to serve three or four years behind bars.

Sentencing is set for Sept. 7.

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In the meantime, Coyne will remain on house arrest with his assets frozen. His attorney, Craig Weintraub, protested the house arrest, arguing that other defendants in the on-going Cuyahoga County corruption probe were free on bond pending sentencing.

But prosecutors said the other defendants did not run fraudulent investment schemes while they were under investigation for corruption.

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Between March and May of this year, Coyne bilked an acquaintance out of $32,000, telling the man he was investing in a Krispy Kreme doughnut franchise in Brunswick. Coyne actually did not represent Krispy Kreme.

"Nobody has indicated to me that the other defendants that you reference in your motion engaged in the same type of conduct that caused the government to request home detention," Judge Patricia A. Gaughan told Weintraub.

Coyne also pleaded guilty to accepting $20,000 in bribes from developer David Terry for favorable reviews of Terry's future projects in Strongsville.

Coyne said little during the hearing  other than entering the guilty pleas.

He resigned his at-large council seat May 6, three days before he was arrested on suspicion of bribery.

City Council is expected to appoint his replacement, Duke Southworth, at a special meeting Tuesday.

 

 


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