P.G. Sittenfeld

P.G. Sittenfeld
Sittenfeld in 2015
Member of the Cincinnati City Council
In office
December 1, 2011 – January 4, 2022
Personal details
Born
Alexander Paul George
Sittenfeld

(1984-10-01) October 1, 1984 (age 40)
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Sarah Coyne
​
(m. 2016)​
RelativesCurtis Sittenfeld (sister)
Education
Websitewww.pgsittenfeld.com Edit this at Wikidata
Conviction(s)Felony bribery and attempted extortion (2022)
Criminal penalty16 months

Alexander Paul George Sittenfeld (born October 1, 1984) is an American politician and former member of the Cincinnati City Council. He has been convicted of felony bribery and attempted extortion. A convicted felon, Sittenfeld was an inmate at FCI Ashland,[1] but was released from prison pending the outcome of his appeal.[2]

A member of the Democratic Party, Sittenfeld served on the Cincinnati City Council from 2011[3] to 2022. Elected at age 27, he was the youngest person to ever be elected to the body.[4] Prior to his election, Sittenfeld was assistant director at the Community Learning Center Institute in Cincinnati. In January 2015, he announced his 2016 bid for Ohio's U.S. Senate seat, then held by Republican Rob Portman. On March 15, 2016, Sittenfeld lost the Senate Democratic primary election to former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland.[5] On July 12, 2020, Sittenfeld announced that he would run in the 2021 Cincinnati mayoral election,[6] but dropped out of the race following his arrest on political corruption charges.[7]

On November 19, 2020, Sittenfeld was arrested on federal charges of corruption and bribery,[8] and later suspended from council.[9] Sittenfeld's arrest was part of a broader FBI focus on rooting out political corruption in Cincinnati.[10] Sittenfeld accepted $40,000 in bribes from undercover FBI agents posing as real estate investors in exchange for votes on a matter before the city council.[11] On July 8, 2022, following a two-and-a-half week trial in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati, Sittenfeld was convicted on two felony counts of bribery and attempted extortion and was sentenced to 16 months in prison on October 10, 2023.[12][13] As a convicted felon, Ohio law prohibits Sittenfeld from holding public office in the state.[14]

Sittenfeld began his federal prison sentence on January 2, 2024 at FCI Ashland.[15] On May 15, 2024, Sittenfeld was released from prison pending the outcome of his appeal.[2]

  1. ^ Grasha, Kevin; Coolidge, Sharon (November 29, 2023). "Federal judge delays P.G. Sittenfeld's report date to prison". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Former Cincinnati councilman PG Sittenfeld granted release from prison pending appeal". WLWT. May 15, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference swornin-1dec11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Sittenfeld announces run for mayor in 2021". WCPO. July 12, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  5. ^ Torry, Jack; Wehrman, Jessica (March 15, 2016). "Ted Strickland beats P.G. Sittenfeld in Democratic primary for U.S. Senate". Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on March 17, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  6. ^ Coolidge, Sharon (July 12, 2020). "It's a two-man mayor race: Sittenfeld announces Cincinnati 2021 mayoral run". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  7. ^ Coolidge, Sharon. "P.G. Sittenfeld says 'with a very heavy heart that, due to the current situation' he won't run for mayor". The Enquirer. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  8. ^ Coolidge, Sharon; Horn, Dan (November 19, 2020). "'I can deliver the votes': Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld arrested on corruption charges". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  9. ^ Coolidge, Sharon (December 7, 2020). "'Extremely disappointed.' Hamilton County Democratic chair slams P.G. Sittenfeld for not resigning from Cincinnati City Council". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  10. ^ "Cincinnati city council member arrested, charged with accepting $40k in bribes". www.justice.gov. November 19, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  11. ^ "Jury convicts former Cincinnati Council member Sittenfeld of bribery and attempted extortion". www.justice.gov. July 8, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  12. ^ Coolidge, Kevin Grasha and Sharon. "P.G. Sittenfeld: Jury finds former Cincinnati city councilman guilty in corruption trial". The Enquirer. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  13. ^ "Former Cincinnati City Council member sentenced to 16 months in prison for bribery, attempted extortion". justice.gov. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  14. ^ "Section 2961.02 - Ohio Revised Code | Ohio Laws". codes.ohio.gov. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  15. ^ Grasha, Kevin; Coolidge, Sharon (November 29, 2023). "Federal judge delays P.G. Sittenfeld's report date to prison". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved December 1, 2023.