Cincinnati City Councilman becomes third from group to be arrested on corruption charges this year

Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld was arrested by FBI agents early Thursday morning on charges that accuse him of accepting bribes in exchange for votes on development deals.

Sittenfeld, until this morning, had been the presumptive Democratic frontrunner in next year's mayoral election, but today, he became the third member of the city's nine member council to be arrested on corruption charges in 2020. He has now been charged with bribery, wire fraud, and attempted extortion. If convicted, he could face as many as 20 years in prison. 

Sittenfeld has served on the city council since 2011, and has become one of the city's most popular, powerful, and well-funded lawmakers.

The plot unveiled today reveals Sittenfeld at the helm of a plan to funnel money from developers into a political action committee that he discretely -- illegally -- controlled. But, the developers, in this case, were actually undercover FBI agents who, on several occasions, handed Sittenfeld checks in the amount of $40,000.

U.S. Attorney David DeVillers will lead the prosecution against Sittenfeld, 36. "It's all part of one scheme. The promises, the accepting of cash, the hiding of where it's coming from," he said. 

Throughout several conversations that occurred between Sittenfeld and the undercover agents between 2018 and 2019, the councilman repeatedly made pay-for-play types promises to the individuals he thought were developers. "I can deliver the votes," said Sittenfeld two years ago, in one conversation quoted in the indictment. 

During a Thursday press conference, DeVillers said prosecutors believe Sittenfeld was "funding the war chest for later political endeavors." The young politician had reportedly amassed a campaign war chest of more than $700,000.