GROUPS TO ORGANIZE THE ATTACK AT THE US CAPITOL. TURN DEVELOPER WAS ON THE STAND TODAY IN THE FEDERAL COURTROOM TELLING JURORS. I THINK THE CITY OF CINCINNATI HAS BEEN CORRUPT FOR A LONG LONG TIME. CHINADUMAN. DUKE WAY IS A KEY WITNESS FOR PROSECUTORS IN PG SENTENCED CELLS POLITICAL CORRUPTION. TRIAL WLWT. NEWSWISE, KAREN JOHNSON WAS IN THE COURTROOM AGAIN FOR US TODAY. DUKE WEIGHS ENTIRE TESTIMONY KAREN, WHAT DID HE HAVE TO SAY? WELL SHARI AND DUKE WAY HAD BEEN WORKING FOR THE FBI SECRETLY AS A COOPERATING WITNESS IN SEVERAL POLITICAL CORRUPTION CASES, INCLUDING SIT AND FELTS, AND HE SAID HE AGREED TO WORK WITH THE FBI BECAUSE HE SAID HE FELT LIKE HE WAS BEING PREYED ON BY PEOPLE AT CITY HALL. CHINODUM AND DUKEWAY, CINCINNATI BENGAL TURNED REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER TODAY HIS ROLE STAR WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION AND SIT AND FELD’S POLITICAL CORRUPTION TRIAL IN DUQUE SAID HE FIRST MET THE FBI AGENT OVERSEEING THE CASE WHEN HE WAS TRYING TO BUILD HIS BUSINESS AS A DEVELOPER IN DUKEWAY SAID AS A BLACK MAN AND A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER THE CHALLENGE TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN CINCINNATI. IT’S STACKED AGAINST YOU. HE SAID HE WANTED TO STOP SOME OF THE BEHAVIORS AT CITY HALL. ELECTED OFFICIALS FROM BEING ABLE TO SHAKE PEOPLE DOWN THE WAY THEY SHOOK ME DOWN. SO HE AGREED TO SECRETLY WORK FOR THE FBI AT THE TIME IN DUQUE WAS TRYING TO REDEVELOP BLIGHTED PROPERTY AT 4:35 ELM STREET. HE TESTIFIED THEN MAYOR JOHN CRANLEY WAS HAMPERING HIS EFFORTS BECAUSE OF AND DUKEWAY SUPPORT FOR YVETTE SIMPSON. MEANWHILE SIT AND FELT WAS STARTING TO RAISE MONEY FOR HIS RUN FOR MAYOR IN DUKEWAY SAYS SIT AND FELT ASKED HIM FOR $10,000 IN DONATIONS SAYING ALL THE MAJOR. DEVELOPERS WERE IN FOR 10 GRAND PROSECUTOR HAS PLAYED A RECORDED PHONE CALL FOR THE JURY TODAY ONE. THEY’VE HEARD PREVIOUSLY WE’RE SITTENFELD SAYS YOU DON’T WANT ME TO BE LIKE HEY CHIN LIKE LOVE YOU, BUT CAN’T IN DUQUE TESTIFIED. HE TOOK THAT AS SINFELD SAYING IF I DONATE HE WAS GOING TO SUPPORT ME IF I DIDN’T DONATE HE WASN’T GOING TO SUPPORT ME DURING CROSS-EXAMINATION. CHARLIE RICKERS BROUGHT UP CHARGES OF MONEY LAUNDERING IDENTITY THEFT AND STRUCTURED BANK TRANSACTIONS THAT THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WAS LOOKING INTO EVOLVING IN DUKE WAY IN DUQUE ENDED UP SIGNING A PROPER AGREEMENT, WHICH IS SIMILAR TO A PLEA. RICKERS IS TRYING TO SHOW THE FBI PUT PRESSURE ON IN DUQUE TO COOPERATE RUTGERS SAID THE FBI WAS HOLDING THE POSSIBILITY OF PROSECUTION OVER YOUR HEAD. AND TO THIS DAY IN DUQUE HAS NEVER BEEN CHARGED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WITH THE CHARGES HE WAS BEING INVESTIGATED FOR AND THE DEFENSE TEAM TODAY STARTED QUESTIONING HIM ABOUT THOSE CHARGES THEN IN DUKE WAY KIND OF TURNED IT AROUND SAYING A QUOTE IN MY OPINION. I THINK THE CITY OF CINCINNATI HAS BEEN EXTREMELY CORRUPT FOR A VERY LONG TIME REPORTING LIV
Witness takes stand in Sittenfeld trial: ‘City of Cincinnati has been extremely corrupt for long time’
Updated: 5:57 PM EDT Jun 28, 2022
Chinedum Ndukwe is a former Cincinnati Bengal turned real estate developer. On Tuesday, he was a key witness for the prosecution in former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld’s political corruption trial.”In my opinion, I think the city of Cincinnati has been extremely corrupt for a very long time,” he said on the stand.Ndukwe was secretly working for the FBI as a cooperating witness in several political corruption investigations. On Tuesday, he testified about the culture at City Hall as he saw it, as a black man and small business owner.”I really felt like I was being preyed on,” Ndukwe said. “The challenges in the city of Cincinnati to be successful, it’s stacked against you.”Ndukwe admitted to donating to multiple campaigns.Ndukwe said he wanted to stop some of the behaviors at City Hall. He said he wanted to stop elected officials from being able to “shake people down the way they shook me down,” so he agreed to secretly work for the FBI.At the time, and even now, Ndukwe was trying to redevelop the blighted property at 435 Elm St. He testified John Cranley, who was mayor at the time, was hampering his efforts because of Ndukwe’s support for Yvette Simpson.In 2018, when Sittenfeld began raising money for his run for Mayor, Ndukwe said Sittenfeld asked him for $10,000. Ndukwe testified that Sittenfeld told him all the major developers were in for $10,000.While Ndukwe was on the stand, prosecutor Matthew Singer played a taped conversation where Sittenfeld says, “You don’t want me to be like, ‘Hey Chin, like, love you, but can’t'”Ndukwe testified he interpreted that as Sittenfeld saying, “If I donate, he was going to support me. If I didn’t donate, he wasn’t going to support me”During cross-examination, defense attorney Charlie Rittgers questioned Ndukwe about the federal investigation involving Ndukwe for money laundering, identity theft and structured bank transactions, charges Ndukwe was investigated for but never charged with.Rittgers showed the jury a proffer agreement that was signed by Ndukwe in March 2018, the same time he began working with the FBI. A proffer agreement is a written contract between a federal prosecutor and someone under a criminal investigation. In the agreement, the person under investigation agrees to give the prosecutor helpful information. In exchange, their statements can’t be used against them.Rittgers said, “To this day, they never agreed not to prosecute you.” Rittgers was trying to show Ndukwe may have been pressured to cooperate with federal prosecutors. “They hold the possibility of prosecution over your head,” Rittgers said. Former lobbyist Jay Kincaid also testified Tuesday. He said he warned Sittenfeld not to accept donations from the undercover FBI agents posing as investors and to “steer clear” of them because he felt they were “bad news.”Under cross-examination, Kincaid testified Sittenfeld’s reputation had always been pro-development of the urban core.Prosecutors are expected to call political fundraiser Jared Kamrass and President of The Port, Laura Brunner, to the stand on Wednesday. They could rest their case after that.
Chinedum Ndukwe is a former Cincinnati Bengal turned real estate developer. On Tuesday, he was a key witness for the prosecution in former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld’s political corruption trial.
“In my opinion, I think the city of Cincinnati has been extremely corrupt for a very long time,” he said on the stand.
Ndukwe was secretly working for the FBI as a cooperating witness in several political corruption investigations. On Tuesday, he testified about the culture at City Hall as he saw it, as a black man and small business owner.
“I really felt like I was being preyed on,” Ndukwe said. “The challenges in the city of Cincinnati to be successful, it’s stacked against you.”
Ndukwe admitted to donating to multiple campaigns.
Ndukwe said he wanted to stop some of the behaviors at City Hall. He said he wanted to stop elected officials from being able to “shake people down the way they shook me down,” so he agreed to secretly work for the FBI.
At the time, and even now, Ndukwe was trying to redevelop the blighted property at 435 Elm St. He testified John Cranley, who was mayor at the time, was hampering his efforts because of Ndukwe’s support for Yvette Simpson.
In 2018, when Sittenfeld began raising money for his run for Mayor, Ndukwe said Sittenfeld asked him for $10,000. Ndukwe testified that Sittenfeld told him all the major developers were in for $10,000.
While Ndukwe was on the stand, prosecutor Matthew Singer played a taped conversation where Sittenfeld says, “You don’t want me to be like, ‘Hey Chin, like, love you, but can’t'”
Ndukwe testified he interpreted that as Sittenfeld saying, “If I donate, he was going to support me. If I didn’t donate, he wasn’t going to support me”
During cross-examination, defense attorney Charlie Rittgers questioned Ndukwe about the federal investigation involving Ndukwe for money laundering, identity theft and structured bank transactions, charges Ndukwe was investigated for but never charged with.
Rittgers showed the jury a proffer agreement that was signed by Ndukwe in March 2018, the same time he began working with the FBI. A proffer agreement is a written contract between a federal prosecutor and someone under a criminal investigation. In the agreement, the person under investigation agrees to give the prosecutor helpful information. In exchange, their statements can’t be used against them.
Rittgers said, “To this day, they never agreed not to prosecute you.” Rittgers was trying to show Ndukwe may have been pressured to cooperate with federal prosecutors. “They hold the possibility of prosecution over your head,” Rittgers said.
Former lobbyist Jay Kincaid also testified Tuesday. He said he warned Sittenfeld not to accept donations from the undercover FBI agents posing as investors and to “steer clear” of them because he felt they were “bad news.”
Under cross-examination, Kincaid testified Sittenfeld’s reputation had always been pro-development of the urban core.
Prosecutors are expected to call political fundraiser Jared Kamrass and President of The Port, Laura Brunner, to the stand on Wednesday. They could rest their case after that.
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