Overview
- Solicitor General D. John Sauer filed a brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to vacate Sittenfeld’s bribery and attempted extortion convictions following President Trump’s May 2025 pardon.
- The Justice Department said it is willing to return the $40,000 fine Sittenfeld paid, citing the need to remove lingering penalties tied to the case.
- Separately, U.S. Attorney Dominick Gerace moved in the Southern District of Ohio to dismiss the indictment with prejudice, which would end the case permanently if granted.
- Sittenfeld was convicted in 2022 after an FBI sting in which undercover agents posing as developers contributed $20,000 in campaign donations tied to support for a Cincinnati development project.
- If the trial judge grants dismissal the matter concludes; if not, the Supreme Court’s decision on the DOJ’s request could take months.