Ex-Cincinnati Councilman Jeff Pastor set to plead guilty Wednesday to corruption charge

Former Cincinnati City Councilman Jeff Pastor is expected Wednesday to become the third councilmember in recent years to be convicted on corruption charges.

Pastor, 39, is scheduled to appear in federal court in Cincinnati at 2 p.m. and formally plead guilty to honest services wire fraud. The case is before U.S. District Judge Matthew McFarland.

A signed plea agreement was filed last week. It becomes official once he pleads guilty before a judge.

Prosecutors have accused Pastor of being part of a bribery scheme involving payoffs in exchange for help with city development projects.

Prosecutors say Pastor, who joined city council in January 2018, began soliciting money from developers within months of taking office. On at least two different occasions, prosecutors say Pastor solicited money in exchange for a favorable vote on a development.

A look back:Plea hearing set for Former Cincinnati Councilman Jeff Pastor in corruption case

Among the allegations was that Pastor, in January 2019, asked for a $115,000 salary from an undercover agent posing as a developer. The money, Pastor said, would “get the best” out of him, according to court documents. The undercover agent rejected Pastor’s request.

Pastor was suspended by the state shortly after his arrest in November 2020 and ultimately replaced on council.

Pastor's friend, Tyran Marshall, also faces charges. His case remains pending. Prosecutors describe him as "a middleman" who arranged for some payments and set up a charitable nonprofit through which Pastor funneled bribes.

The other former council members to be convicted were Tamaya Dennard and P.G. Sittenfeld. 

Dennard pleaded guilty in June 2020 to honest services wire fraud. She was accused of accepting $15,000 as part of an unrelated scheme to exchange her votes for money. Dennard was sentenced to 18 months in prison, and has already completed her sentence. Sittenfeld was found guilty last year of bribery and attempted extortion in another unrelated case. He is still awaiting sentencing.