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personal leave from firm after federal subpoena for work
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Rachel Dissell
Plain Dealer Reporter
An attorney who did legal work for several government agencies and businesses that have been subpoenaed by federal investigators has taken a "personal leave" from the law firm, according to his e-mail.
Anthony O. Calabrese III's picture and biographical information were also removed from the Vorys Sater Seymour and Pease Web site.
He has been a partner in the firm's Cleveland office since 2005.
E-mails sent to Calabrese at his office were met with an automatic response indicating he was not available because he has taken a personal leave.
Several calls to the firm's Cleveland and Columbus offices were not returned.
Calabrese also did not return calls.
Federal investigators last week subpoenaed records about the work Calabrese and his firm have done for the Parma schools since 2002. The subpoenas were part of an investigation of public corruption in Cuyahoga County, which became public in July when federal agents searched offices and homes of officials and businesspeople.
Attorney Richard Lillie, who represents County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora, called Calabrese tough, bright and resilient.
"He's a young guy, and I think he did stellar work for the firm," Lillie said. He said Calabrese, whose family has been in law and politics in the area for generations, was likely responsible for attracting a huge amount of work to the firm.
Lillie also cautioned, as many attorneys have since the probe went public, that just because the government wants information from a person or business does not mean they are being accused of any wrongdoing.
He said the subpoenas and search warrants that have been made public have put clouds over the heads of many people, perhaps some unfairly.
Plain Dealer reporter John Caniglia contributed to this story.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
rdissell@plaind.com, 216-999-4121
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