TOLEDO, Ohio — Three former Toledo City Council members, who in December pleaded guilty to accepting bribes while in office in exchange for legislative support, are set to be sentenced in September.
Harper is set to be sentenced on Sept. 5 at 9:30 a.m. Riley is set to be sentenced on Sept. 5 at 1:30 p.m. Sykes is set to be sentenced on Sept. 6 at 1:30 p.m.
Both Riley and Sykes pleaded guilty to one count of Hobbs Act extortion under official color of right, which means a public official wrongfully took money or another valuable not owed to them or their office. Harper pleaded guilty to one count of Hobbs Act conspiracy.
The charges the three face all carry up to 20 years in prison, up to $250,000 in fines and up to three years of supervised release.
Gary Johnson, a fourth former council member charged in the case, was found guilty on one federal bribery charge and not guilty on another in federal court in June for accepting money in exchange for votes. In July, Johnson requested a judge overturn the guilty verdict.
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