Two former East Cleveland Police officers will be heading to prison after they were sentenced on bribery charges Monday morning.
Demarkco Johnson was sentenced to one year for bribery.
Von Harris was sentenced to two years for bribery, forgery and insurance fraud.
"It's more than just bad judgement, and it's more than a mistake," said Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Maureen Clancy, "it's knowing what you're involved in and disregarding the position you held."
Harris and Johnson faced 16 counts, ranging from engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity to conspiracy, bribery, forgery and fraud.
The jury found Harris guilty on 11 of the 16 counts, which included bribery, forgery and insurance fraud charges. Johnson was found guilty of two of the 16 counts, both bribery charges. Both were acquitted of the more serious charges of corruption and conspiracy.
Investigators said the pair accepted hundreds of dollars from an undercover FBI informant in exchange for falsified police reports during the summer of 2018.
After the verdicts, Johnson's attorney called him a good cop and said she believed he was caught in an FBI scheme to catch police.
In court Monday, Johnson broke down in tears as he apologized to his family.
"It's rough," said Johnson. "I've always been a good cop. Always went to work with good intentions. That's just something I wanted to do since I was a kid."
The FBI informant was George Michael Riley, who prosecutors said illegally operated a landfill in East Cleveland and collected millions of dollars in demolition jobs as he paid off city employees.
Riley testified on the advice of his attorney that he cut a deal and agreed to work with federal agents as they investigated corruption in East Cleveland.
Riley was not criminally charged in connection with activities in the city.
Testimony during the trial revealed the forged police reports were never submitted to East Cleveland police or sent to an insurance company to collect money — a fact Harris's defense attorney pointed out during sentencing.
"It was a fiction," said defense attorney John Paris. "There is no victim. There's no insurance company victim. Nor was the East Cleveland Police Department a victim. The report was never filed with the East Cleveland Police Department."
But prosecutors disagreed.
"The East Cleveland Police Department has to hang their head in shame at what they thought their fellow officers have done," said Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Gregory Mussman. "The East Cleveland residents shouldn't have to put up with corruption."
A number of co-workers and community members asked the judge to show leniency, calling Johnson and Harris good cops who were pillars in their community.
"It's a bad situation, but they're not criminals," said East Cleveland resident Darryl Moore. "They're not gangsters and thugs. Please let them go home."
But Clancy said the former officers used their power, knowledge and connections for their own benefit and financial gain.
"This behavior that the two of you engaged in causes the community to lose faith and trust in police officers and law enforcement," said Clancy. "And it casts a negative light on the profession and seemingly portrays you as individuals not having to follow the same laws as everyone else."
Johnson's attorney said her client maintains his innocence.
Both men said in court Monday they planned to appeal their cases.
