CLEVELAND — A federal judge Wednesday sentenced the city's former public housing director to 18 months in prison for taking more than $100,000 of agency money.

        Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of up to four years, but U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen O'Malley said the sentence was appropriate in light of Claire Freeman's family responsibilities.

Freeman

        Ms. Freeman's lawyer, James Willis, noted that Ms. Freeman is caring for her two grandchildren in California as well as other family members.

        Ms. Freeman, 58, through tears, said she is disappointed in her behavior. “I am just devastated at this point of my life, that I find myself having done that,” she said.

        The judge also said that a reduced sentence was appropriate because her co-defendant was allowed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor.

        Ms. Freeman remains free on bond until ordered to report to prison.

        A jury convicted Ms. Freeman on Feb. 13 on charges of mail fraud, theft of public money and false statements regarding a loan.

        Federal prosecutors said Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority board members never authorized the use of agency money for mortgage payments on her town house in Alexandria, Va. Prosecutors also said Ms. Freeman used forged letters from the CMHA board to get a bank loan and to refinance her mortgage.

        Ms. Freeman was charged with using agency money to pay off a $50,000 personal loan and make $62,000 in mortgage payments. In a civil trial in 1999, a Cuyahoga County jury ruled against Ms. Freeman on her breach of contract claims against CMHA, but found Ms. Freeman owed CMHA $462,200.

        A former CMHA commissioner testified in court that she never signed letters authorizing the mortgage payments.

        Ms. Freeman was one of the highest paid housing directors in the country when she was hired in May 1990. By 1997, her compensation totaled more than $400,000.

        Ronnie Davis, CMHA's chief operating officer under Ms. Freeman and later a top public housing official in San Francisco, had been a co-defendant with Ms. Freeman but was allowed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor misappropriation charge for keeping a $5,500 overpayment in his paycheck.

        Ms. O'Malley said that Ms. Freeman deserved a light sentence in part because of the “incredibly light sentence” that Mr. Davis was given.

        Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Getz said afterward that the judge had a hard decision in setting the proper sentence. “I wouldn't second-guess it.”

Moment of silence almost law
Smoker may be Ohio's savior
Last Coleman appeal: No telecast
Planting understanding
City worker charged as loan shark
Curtis Norris, insurance exec, dies at 88
Fine Arts Fund hits goal amid turbulence
Indian Hill asks for help buying land
Lemmie taps two Dayton officials
State allots $1 million for local jobs program
Tristate A.M. Report
HOWARD: Some Good News
PULFER: Modern service
RADEL: The winner
SAMPLES: Sleeping dogs
Deputy accused of making lewd remarks to kids
Lebanon park chief forced out
Milford lot may become new school
Ohio 28 makeover proposed
Prison employee sues to save hair
Township won't back complex
Turning parents into friends
Cleveland mayor wants to keep schools control
Concealed-carry bill holstered
Former housing director gets prison sentence
Murder conviction ruled not proper
Sponsors of legislator's fund-raiser focus of panel
Voting problems investigated
Cabinet member resigns under cloud
Covington cleanup protested
Fund drive to help homeless
GOP blasts campaign funding
Jurors screened for Craven trial
Levee's tax break still in budget
NKU staff, faculty raises in proposed budget
Panel looks at smoking ban
Park burns land to restore trees
Quilter repeats '96 Paducah win
Struggling schools get $3.3-million boost
Teen has $10K to dampen smoking