Trial date set for former Toledo City Council member accused of accepting bribes for votes

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - The courts have set a date for the jury trial for a former Toledo City Council member accused of accepting bribed in exchange for votes.

Gary Johnson’s jury trial is set for June 6 after a judge denied Johnson’s motion for a bench trial.

According to court documents, attorneys requested a bench trial to speed up the process stating that Johnson had waited for trial for over two years.

Attorneys proposed that “scheduling a bench trial would be considerably easier than scheduling a jury trial.”

In addition, attorneys expressed concern regarding possibly biased jurors.

“There is also serious concern about Mr. Johnson’s ability to get a fair and unbiased jury in light of the massive and continued publicity surrounding this case…” court filings read.

Johnson is facing charges relating to accepting payments spanning from $500 to $5,000 for ‘yes’ votes on zoning requests to internet cafes.

According to court records, the FBI began investigating Johnson and three other former council members, Tyrone Riley, Yvonne Harper and Larry Sykes, in regard to an alleged bribes-for-votes scheme in 2018 that unfolded over the following two years. The four were accused of accepting payments ranging from $500 to $5,000 in exchange for their votes on zoning requests to internet cafes.

Johnson, Riley, Harper and Sykes were arrested in 2020 and were suspended from their roles on city council.

On Dec. 16, 2021, Riley, Harper, and Sykes changed their pleas on bribery and extortion charges to guilty. They are scheduled to be sentenced in June.

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