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Brothers plead guilty in federal bribery scandal involving former Summit County Councilwoman Tamela Lee; Lee’s trial scheduled for Feb. 6

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Two brothers charged in a bribery scandal involving former Summit County Councilwoman Tamela Lee have pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cleveland.

Lee has until Friday to accept a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, but she is scheduled to go to trial Feb. 6, according to court documents.

Abdelrahman Abdelqader and Omar Abdelqader pleaded guilty Friday before Judge Christopher Boyko to multiple counts involving allegedly bribing Lee when she was still a councilwoman. Both will be sentenced May 4 by Boyko.

Lee, 58, of Akron, a County Council member from 2011 through 2016 and the former second-ranking officer in the Summit County Democratic Party, was indicted in December 2015. She is accused of accepting small amounts of cash and goods in exchange for using her political influence to help the Aldelqader family. She has denied any wrongdoing.

Abdelrahman Abdelqader of Canton pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and false statements to law enforcement. Omar Abdelqader pleaded guilty to these charges, along with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, mail fraud and Hobbs Act violations.

The Hobbs Act prohibits “robbery or extortion affecting interstate or foreign commerce.” The statute is often used in cases involving public corruption, according to the U.S. Justice Department website.

Kirk Migdal, Omar Abdelqader’s attorney, declined to comment Monday. Timothy Haffey, Abdelrahman Abdelqader’s lawyer, didn’t return a phone message seeking comment.

Timothy Ivey, Lee’s public defender, couldn’t be reached Monday.

A fourth person charged in the Lee case, Samir Abdelqader, Abdelrahman Abdelqader’s son, who is from Fairlawn, was sentenced to three years’ probation in May after pleading guilty to lying to FBI agents during the investigation.

Omar Abdelqader of North Canton was affiliated with several convenience stores and other businesses in the Akron area, including the Bi-Rite on Diagonal Road.

Authorities accuse Lee of soliciting and accepting items, including money, loans, campaign contributions, home improvements, home maintenance and consumer goods. In return, they say Lee helped Omar Abdelqader and others by advocating for a state liquor license and calling a judge to get a bond for Samir Abdelqader, who was facing criminal charges in June 2014.

Lee’s trial, originally scheduled for February 2016, has been postponed four times at the request of one side or the other.

Lee lost her District 5 council seat in the Democratic primary in March to former assistant Akron prosecutor David Hamilton. Hamilton beat his GOP opponent in the November election and assumed the seat Jan. 1.

District 5 covers Copley Township and Fairlawn and parts of Akron and Bath Township.

Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at 330-996-3705 or swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow on Twitter: @swarsmithabj  and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/swarsmith.


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