Ex-CEO Finley Sentenced to 14 Months in Prison for Red Light Camera Bribery Scheme in Ohio

Karen L. Finley, the former CEO of a traffic light enforcement camera vendor, has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for her role in a multi-year bribery and fraud scheme involving red light camera contracts in Ohio.

In a deal that unraveled the scheme, Finley cooperated with the government’s investigation against John Raphael, an Ohio lobbyist, who pleaded guilty to violating the Hobbs Act for his involvement in the scheme. On June 8, 2016, Raphael was sentenced to 15 months in prison.

The scheme, which spanned from December 2005 to February 2013, involved Finley’s company making campaign contributions to elected public officials in the cities of Columbus, Ohio, and Cincinnati through Raphael. Finley and her co-conspirators concealed the true nature and source of the payments by paying false invoices for ‘consulting services,’ which funds Raphael then provided to the campaigns of the elected public officials.

The FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office, Columbus Resident Agency, investigated the case with the assistance of IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Trial Attorney Edward P. Sullivan of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Michael Marous of the Southern District of Ohio prosecuted the case.

Finley, 57, of Cave Creek, Arizona, pleaded guilty on June 19, 2015, to one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery and honest services wire and mail fraud. She was sentenced today before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson of the Southern District of Ohio.

In a statement, Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Criminal Division said, ‘Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of Finley’s crimes and the importance of holding public officials and corporate leaders accountable for their actions.’

Finley’s conviction serves as a reminder that the government will not tolerate bribery and corruption in any form, and that those who engage in such activities will be held accountable for their actions.

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