Michael Forlani was owner of electrical company Doan Pyramid, Neteam, and other businesses that did business with the Jimmy Dimora and Cuyahoga County.   He was charged with 18 counts that included paying bribes to Dimora for county work and paying bribes to the former Vice President of MetroHealth Medical Center John Carroll for contracts with the hospital.  He plead guilty to 13 counts and the government agreed to drop 5 other charges.  As part of the 69 page settlement he turned over a check for  900 thousand dollars and the U.S. attorneys agreed not to pursue further funds from the family.

 At one point Judge Sara Lioi asked his wife Patricia Forlani, who sat in the court gallery, “ Do you know that is a check for 900 thousand dollars?”   Mrs. Forlani laughed a little and answered “Yes I do.”
 Lioi asked Mr Forlani ”Are you pleading guilty because you committed these crimes? “ and he answered “Yes your honor.”  

Outside Forlani did not speak to us but his attorney Thomas Kirsh said he did not agree to a guilty plea because of the steep, 28 year sentence Dimora received.

“No, I don’t think so. Mike considered his family and what was best for him and his family and he made a decision to enter a guilty plea. “

In response to Forlani’s plea the judge reduced the offense level for which he can be charged.   Lioi will await a pre-sentencing report from the US Probation office and then hand down a sentence on December