FBI, BCI Raid Cuyahoga County Executive's Office

CLEVELAND — The FBI and BCI raided Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish's offices in downtown Cleveland on Thursday. This is the latest chapter in a continuing corruption probe into the county government.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI) does not comment on ongoing investigations, so details on Thursday's raid are scarce. A Cuyahoga County spokesperson said government officials and employees are cooperating with law enforcement, News 5 reported.

In January 2019, three people with ties to the Cuyahoga County government were indicted on corruption-related charges. One of those charged is a current member of Armond Budish's staff.

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Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley said at that time that the investigation into possible corruption at the county level was ongoing.

"Ten years ago, county government drowned in a sea of corruption. Citizens rightly expected that the new form of County government would usher in an era of high ethical behavior and effective governance," O'Malley said. He believes the indictments demonstrated that the new government had not met expectations.

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