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Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Judge Leslie Ann Celebrezze has now admitted in court records to steering lucrative work to her longtime friend Mark Dottore.
The sudden admission comes in a joint motion filed by attorneys as Celebrezze was slated to face numerous misconduct charges in a March 31 hearing with the Ohio Disciplinary Counsel.
Celebrezze has now conceded to being in love with Dottore and assigning him receivership cases that allow him to bill wealthy divorcing couples for handling their finances while their cases are pending.
The Marshall Project - Cleveland first began investigating the ties between Celebrezze and Dottore in 2023. The reporting has led to the disciplinary counsel action, as well as a separate ongoing criminal investigation by the FBI.
The two-day disciplinary hearing, which was to include testimony from several witnesses, will not take place. Instead, an abbreviated hearing among attorneys will take place remotely.
Afterward, the disciplinary counsel and Celebrezze’s attorney will submit written closing arguments within 30 days. A three-person panel will later recommend sanctions against Celebrezze that could potentially lead to her law license being suspended and force the judge to vacate her seat.
Any sanctions will be decided by Ohio Supreme Court justices.
Celebrezze’s admissions to multiple judicial conduct violations were filed in a joint motion on March 26. The motion marks a dramatic shift after months of denials by the judge.
“The parties have agreed on all factual allegations, exhibits, rule violations, and mitigating and aggravating factors,” the disciplinary counsel wrote. “[Celebrezze] has signed the stipulations, affirming her agreement...”
Neither Celebrezze nor Dottore responded to multiple calls or emails seeking comment.
Celebrezze took office in 2009 after voters elected her to replace her father, James Celebrezze, who had served nearly two decades on the Domestic Relations Court and two years on the Ohio Supreme Court.
Dottore is a well-known, successful businessman who has endeared himself to multiple judges and courts around Northeast Ohio.
For years, these connections have raised questions about potential case steering dating back decades, including regarding Celebrezze’s father.
Meanwhile, Celebrezze and Dottore remain the target of an FBI and grand jury criminal investigation.
Agents are probing how Celebrezze bypassed the court’s random assignment process to move several lucrative divorce cases to her docket and appoint Dottore and his company as a receiver.
Celebrezze approved nearly $500,000 in fees for Dottore Companies, LLC between January 2017 and June 2023, The Marshall Project - Cleveland reported. The judge appointed either Dottore or his daughter to be the receiver in six of the eight cases Celebrezze was handling at the time, according to Cuyahoga County court records.
In 2023, Celebrezze and Dottore told The Marshall Project - Cleveland that they were lifelong friends, even after a private investigator recorded videos of them kissing outside a steakhouse and Celebrezze visiting Dottore’s home and office numerous times. Each had denied a romantic relationship.
Celebrezze, who is married, now concedes in court records that she loved Dottore when she bypassed the court’s random assignment process to shift cases to her docket and subsequently appointed Dottore as receiver.
Dottore also served as campaign treasurer when Celebrezze ran successfully for her judgeship in 2008. Her campaign headquarters was listed under Dottore’s business address.
In August 2023, Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy removed Celebrezze from a divorce case. Kennedy found that Celebrezze violated court rules when she bypassed court policy to assign the case to her own docket and appoint Dottore as receiver.
The Ohio Disciplinary Counsel then launched an investigation in November 2024 and alleged Celebrezze made a false statement and had ties to Dottore. Celebrezze has already admitted to violating numerous judicial codes of conduct for failing to recuse herself from a divorce case involving Dottore.
A wide-ranging grand jury subpoena dated Feb. 12 shows FBI agents requested thousands of pages of records, including contracts, billing information, fee approvals and payment information related to Dottore Companies, LLC.
Agents are also seeking information on how the court’s other judges appoint receivers in divorce cases.
RELATED STORIES:
- FBI subpoena targets how Cuyahoga County Judge Leslie Celebrezze steered work to friend
- Judge Celebrezze denies misconduct claims, faces a disciplinary hearing in January
- Judge Celebrezze faces misconduct claims over appointing lucrative divorce cases to friend
- Judge Celebrezze removed from controversial Cuyahoga County divorce case
- New bias complaints continue to target top Cuyahoga County judge
- A Judge, a Kiss, and $450,000-plus in Court Work
