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Lovely Warren, the Democratic mayor of Rochester, New York, agreed to resign on Monday after agreeing to a plea deal on several state charges stemming from campaign finance violations, as well as endangerment children and firearms.
Plea deal, in Monroe County Court, marks the end of a swift and staggering fall from grace for Ms Warren, 44, the town’s first female mayor who was once considered a rising Party star democrat of the state.
Ms Warren’s resignation came into effect on December 1, just a month before she left office, after losing a June primary for a third term to city councilor Malik Evans.
Last October, Ms Warren was indicted by a Monroe County grand jury on a pair of campaign finance charges related to her 2017 re-election campaign, involving her official campaign fund and a political action committee.
In July, Ms Warren was also charged with firearms and endangering children along with her ex-husband, Timothy Granison, who had previously been charged with being involved in a drug trafficking ring.
Calli Marianetti, spokesperson for Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley, said as part of a plea deal with Ms Warren, the guns and child endangerment charges would no longer be pursued.
In a statement, Ms Doorley said the resolution of the charges against Ms Warren – and those facing two other defendants, her campaign treasurer and Rochester’s CFO – was “fair and based on the nature of their crimes” .
“This is an important step in our broader efforts to promote ethical elections in our state,” said Ms. Doorley, a Republican.
The plea came as Ms Warren’s trial on the campaign finance charges was due to begin. Carrie Cohen, a lawyer for Ms Warren, said the mayor’s plea deal – for a misdemeanor, rather than the original felony charges she faced – was in line with her previous admission that payments to her committee of ‘political action’ were not classified correctly. “
“There has never been an allegation of the theft of a campaign or other funds by the mayor, or anyone else involved in the campaign,” Cohen said, adding that the plea resolves all criminal charges. state pending without admitting fraud or dishonesty. .
Ms Warren’s resignation ends a period of unusual turmoil in Rochester, a town of some 200,000 on the shores of Lake Ontario, including a heavy toll from the coronavirus and continued upheaval since Mr Prude’s death, which resulted in the resignation of the city police chief.
Mr Evans, the Democratic candidate and alleged successor to Ms Warren, said on Monday he expected to continue working with the administration until Ms Warren resigns.
“We need to stay focused to ensure the City of Rochester continues to move forward,” Evans said.
Rebecca Davis O’Brien contributed reports.
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