ROCHESTER, New York – Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren faces allegations of breaking campaign finance rules during the 2017 reelection campaign.
Along with campaign treasurer Albert Jones Jr. and Rosiland Brooks-Harris, Lovely Warren faces charges of supposedly exceeding the campaign finance limits by illegally transferring money from the PAC.
This conviction entails removing Mayor Lovely Warren from her office. If this happens, Deputy Mayor James Smith will take over Warren’s remaining term. This trial will take four to six weeks.
Warren also lost her reelection campaign to City Councilmember Malik Evans. Warren should leave her office by January.
Warren’s lawyers stated that these mistakes were not part of any elaborate and coordinated scheme. Thus, Warren did all the necessary measures to prevent the same mistake from happening again.
Attorney Joseph Damelio stated that Warren had no intention to defraud. Although her actions were negligent, Warren’s mistake was not criminal.
The Monroe County district intends to bring the case to trial to show the importance of enforcing election policies.
In July, Rochester Mayor Warren Lovely and Timothy Granison pleaded not guilty to all the allegations.
Honor Thomas G. Leon will preside over the case at 9:30 AM in the Monroe Supreme & County Courthouse.
If the court finds Warren, Albert Jones Jr., and Rosiland Brooks Harris guilty of violating election laws, they can face one to four years in prison. These allegations are Class E felonies. The sentence can include other sentencing options from probation to restitution.
