Overview
- Leslie Ann Celebrezze resigned Monday after being charged by information with third-degree tampering with records, an offense punishable by up to three years in prison.
- At Tuesday’s arraignment, she pleaded not guilty, received a $5,000 personal bond, was assigned to Judge Lauren Moore, and set a Jan. 6 hearing.
- The charge stems from a Jan. 19, 2023 journal entry that prosecutors allege falsely claimed a divorce case was randomly assigned when she had kept it.
- Her case management has been under scrutiny for appointing longtime friend Mark Dottore as receiver in divorce matters, with nearly $500,000 in fees approved from 2017 to 2023.
- Parallel actions continue, including an Ohio Board of Professional Conduct recommendation for a two-year suspension awaiting Supreme Court review, FBI records subpoenas, and a $400,000 county settlement with a former aide who alleged retaliation.