TOLEDO, Ohio — A federal judge has sentenced former city council members Larry Sykes, Yvonne Harper and Tyrone Riley after they pleaded guilty in December to accepting bribes while in office.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Helmick sentenced Sykes to four months in prison and one year of probation on Wednesday.
He also sentenced Harper to one year and one day in prison and Riley to two years in prison and one year of probation, both on Tuesday. The sentences for Harper and Riley were significantly less than they could have been because of a provision in federal sentencing guidelines set to go into effect on Nov. 1.
Harper pleaded guilty to one count of Hobbs Act conspiracy, while Riley and Sykes pleaded guilty to one count each of Hobbs Act extortion under official color of right.
While Sykes abused his power and breached the public's trust like Harper and Riley did, Helmick said his sentence did not need to be as long as the others since he took less money.
"He is less culpable than the other two I sentenced, but a custodial sentence is necessary," Helmick said of Sykes.
He also said the court received multiple letters of support for Sykes from notable figures in Toledo, including Toledo Public Schools Superintendent Romules Durant and Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP attorney Peter Silverman.
Helmick said all three sentences had to act as a message that deterred public officials from taking bribes.
"It's important to send a message," Helmick said to the courtroom during Harper's sentencing Tuesday. "It's a sad day for you and your family, but it's also a sad day for Toledo."
Helmick said he took into account Harper and Riley's lack of criminal histories when issuing their sentences.
Helmick noted that the bribe of $9,960 Harper took was less than $10,000, the case publicly humiliated her and she lost her job due to the incident. She also received one year of supervised release in her sentence.
Harper's attorneys argued she had done a lot for the city's district four in addition to being proactive and cooperative since she was charged.
An overflow room had to be set up during Riley's sentencing as over 30 emotional family members and friends showed up to court. 6 people, including church leaders, an attorney and Riley's sister, gave statements in his defense and argued that he is important to the community.
Riley took the most bribes for the most amount of money, Helmick said.
The judge also said about Riley that he was "dumbfounded as to how you got to this point."
Riley issued apologies to his family for the "hurt, shame and embarrassment" he caused them and to his constituents, the voting population of Toledo and the entirety of the city's district one for how he "let them down."
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On Wednesday, former city council member Larry Sykes was sentenced to four months in prison and one year of probation.
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.
This is a developing story. Stay with WTOL 11 on air, online and on our free mobile app for the latest updates.
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