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Cincinnati City Councilman Jeff Pastor now finds himself in the midst of a federal investigation following his arrest on Tuesday for bribery. According to an FBI investigation, Pastor took huge amounts of money in return for a favorable vote in support of development projects using his position on the council. The allegations sent shockwaves throughout the city and put a damper on Pastor’s political career.
January 2018 was the month and year when Jeff Pastor waded into work in the Cincinnati City Council to be a more atypical Republican voice. The energy bundle that comes with out-of-the-box proposals at every corner, Pastor has tried reaching every kind of constituency during his time in office. But recent allegations tell an altogether different story.
Federal prosecutors said Pastor had joined in a scheme of accepting bribes for favorable votes on development projects inside the city. An investigation showed he is accused of receiving large amounts in cash and other benefits from developers who needed approvals and an advantage in having their projects accepted. Pastor, if convicted on corruption charges, could face as long as 20 years in federal prison.
This has left Cincinnati reeling, as many of its residents liked Pastor for his style of leadership and because he champions community issues. The charges, though, hint at a deeper problem-a breakdown of public trust in local government-where the use and abuse of power seems to have flourished among elected officials. Pastor’s arrest comes at a moment when the city is working to rebuild its reputation for good governance and open government.
Where it was not very long ago considered admirable that Pastor stood apart from the fold as a “different kind” of Republican simply because he defied mold expectations, the indictment raises questions on whether his unconventionality had been little more than window dressing for behavior that was simply unethical. As federal authorities pressed charges, corruption saps the public’s confidence, it corrupts the integrity of government institutions, as well.
The case against Pastor represents the latest to fall in a high-profile corruption investigation that has felled public officials at the state, local, and federal levels. It serves as a reminder of the importance of accountability and ethical leadership at all levels of government.
With the legal process under way, the political future of Jeff Pastor remains unclear. For now, he is accused of betraying the trust of the very people he was elected to serve, and the city of Cincinnati has to deal with the implications of what he allegedly did.
Jeff Pastor’s Family
Jeff Pastor was born on December 4, 1983, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is the eldest of four children born to a hardworking mother.
Pastor has said his mother worked three jobs to support him and his siblings along with a drug-addicted stepfather. She enrolled in an RN program while putting Pastor through college. She survived an auto-immune disease and graduated from the RN program.
Jefff Pastor’s Career
]Pastor, who attended Sands Montessori, The School for Creative and Performing Arts, and Withrow High School, proudly advertises that he is a product of Cincinnati’s public school system.
He studied at Central State University, Payne Theological Seminary, and Wright State University, where he received a BA in Communications, Masters of Divinity, and Master of Business Administration.
He has served in the U.S. Armed Forces, both in the U.S. Navy Reserve and Ohio Army National Guard. He was a teacher at the King Academy Community School. He also served as a substitute teacher in the Cincinnati Public School system.
A member of the Republican Party, he successfully got elected to the Cincinnati City Council in 2017. He narrowly earned the seat on the city council in a recounting. Back then, Pastor’s campaign had come under scrutiny for several fundraising concerns.
Jeff Pastor’s Wife and Children
Jeff Pastor married Tara Ivy on February 14, 2009. She was active on the Hamilton County Board of Elections and the state education board.
They are parents to four children—Serenity, Destiny, Jeffery III, and Joshua. In June, Tara was pregnant with their fifth. They also have a beloved furry rescue, Winnie “The Beauty” Pastor.
Jeff Pastor Came out as a Polyamorous Atheist
In an essay posted this year on Medium, Pastor came out as a “Polyamorous Atheist.” His piece focused on telling his friend, wife, and mother about his decision to become an atheist.
The essay, however, didn’t dwell much on his polyamorous lifestyle. There’s no information about another person in Jeff and Tara Pastor’s relationship.
Also Read: David Madson Wiki: One of the First of Andrew Cunanan’s Victims
Jeff Pastor’s Arrest
The FBI arrested Jeff Pastor on November 10 for allegedly accepting bribes during his tenure as a councilman. The FBI called it a brazen bribery scheme of getting payoffs for Cincinnati’s developmental projects.
Prosecutors stated that Pastor solicited money from developers in exchange for his vote or favorable treatment within months of taking office in January 2018. A friend of Pastor’s was charged as a middleman.
FBI agents posing as developers found evidence of bribery through electronic surveillance. Two whistleblowers, including former Cincinnati Bengal Chinedum Ndukwe, also came forward to unravel the alleged pay-to-play scheme.
Pastor and his friend/accomplice are facing federal charges of bribery, money laundering, extortion, wire fraud, theft of honest services, and conspiracy. If convicted, they could face up to 20 years in prison.
State and local Republican party officials have called for Pastor to resign immediately.
