TOLEDO, Ohio — Editor's note: The following story has been updated to include Johnson's sentencing date.
A federal judge denied requests for an acquittal and a new trial from former Toledo City Council member Gary Johnson, who in June was found guilty of taking bribes in exchange for votes while in office.
A decision filed by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on Sept. 22 states that Johnson argued for the conviction to be overturned for three reasons: the Hobbs Act is void and does not apply in this case, there was insufficient evidence to convict and "outrageous government conduct throughout the investigation" violated Johnson's rights to due process.
Judge Jeffrey Helmick denied Johnson's arguments that a U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Evans v. United States court case that was key in the case was wrongly decided by the court and should be overturned, according to court documents. He also denied Johnson's argument that the FBI acted "outrageously" when investigating him and violated his right to due process based on a decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth District.
Helmick also denied Johnson's argument that "the line between legal campaign contributions and illegal bribes is unclear" and that jurors could not prove beyond reasonable doubt that bribery happened.
Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 25, 2025.
Helmick in early September also sentenced former council members Larry Sykes, Yvonne Harper and Tyrone Riley after they pleaded guilty in December to accepting bribes while in office.
Sykes was sentenced to four months in prison and one year of probation, Harper was sentenced to one year and one day in prison and Riley was sentenced to two years in prison and one year of probation.