CLEVELAND — A widening public corruption investigation reached deeper Friday into the Democratic-controlled county government in Cleveland.
Sandy Klimkowski, a former top aide to Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo, a target of the federal investigation, pleaded guilty to all six counts against her.

The charges included bribery and conspiracy. She agreed to cooperate in the investigation.

U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen O’Malley said she would schedule sentencing after the prosecution assesses Klimkowski’s cooperation. She could face up to 10 years in prison, the judge said.

Klimkowski 58, of Maple Heights, was the 12th defendant hauled into court since July. The other 11 defendants also pleaded guilty.

Klimkowski was charged in an alleged scheme to arrange $1.2 million in kickbacks in return for $22 million in appraisal contracts awarded by Russo’s office.

There was no immediate comment from Russo on the Klimkowski plea. A message seeking comment was left at his office.

Last year the FBI raided the offices and homes of Russo and his political ally, county Commissioner Jimmy Dimora. Neither has been charged and both deny wrongdoing.

The probe’s methodical pace shows prosecutors are focusing on secondary figures while collecting evidence against leading targets, according to Geoffrey S. Mearns, dean of Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

“Given an investigation of this breadth and complexity, that phase is going to take a while,” said Mearns, a former federal prosecutor who worked cases involving New York mobsters and the Oklahoma City bombing.

Prosecutors can offer sentence leniency to produce guilty pleas and agreements to cooperate in the investigation, Mearns said.

Bruce Zaccagnini, 48, of North Royalton, an attorney who pleaded guilty Thursday in the appraisal scheme, stands to get a possible 10-year prison term cut in half in return for his cooperation.

“The whole goal is to get somebody to what we call ‘flip,’ ” or aid the investigation, said Mark Godsey, a University of Cincinnati law professor and former federal prosecutor in New York City. “You show them the evidence you have, tell them how much trouble they’re in and try to convince them to cooperate.”

Mearns said there might be a pause in the parade of defendants into court with the approach of a Nov. 3 referendum on reshaping county government.

Federal prosecutors are cautioned to avoid moves that might be seen as trying to exert political influence, he said.

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