ROCHESTER, N.Y. 鈥� Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren agreed to resign shortly before her term ends as part of a deal to settle charges she violated campaign finance rules during her 2017 reelection campaign.
Warren was scheduled to go on trial Monday on felony charges she and two assistants took steps to evade contribution limits. Instead, Warren and her two co-defendants each pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of accepting campaign contributions that exceeded legal limits, according to the Monroe County district attorney's office.
The deal also resolves separate charges related to unsecured firearms in her home.
The resignation will provide an early end to a tumultuous mayoral term in New York鈥檚 third-largest city. Warren had been under heavy criticism for the Daniel Prude, a Black man who died in March 2020, a week after 小蓝视频 held by police officers against the pavement until he stopped breathing. Prude had bolted from his brother鈥檚 home and shed his clothes during an apparent mental health episode.
Her resignation will be effective by Dec. 1. Warren was set to leave office in January after earlier this year. Deputy Mayor James Smith is expected to finish out the remainder of her term.
Warren faces a year-long conditional discharge along with the agreement to submit her resignation.
She did not answer questions from reporters as she left court, but later in the day posted a statement on Facebook.
鈥淟eaving the past behind and looking forward to a brighter future. Thank you Rochester,鈥� Warren wrote. 鈥淲e鈥檝e accomplished a lot together, but in the end, I thank God that I鈥檓 able to choose family over everything.鈥�
Warren had previously denied any attempt to evade campaign finance rules, and referred to the investigation as a political witch hunt.
鈥淐learly, there was no scheme to defraud,鈥� Warren鈥檚 attorney, Joseph Damelio, told reporters outside of court.
District Attorney Sandra Doorley called the resolution 鈥渇air and just" and said it was an important step in promoting ethical elections.
鈥淢oving forward, the ramifications of the Mayor鈥檚 conduct spans beyond the criminal justice system. The Monroe County District Attorney鈥檚 Office is pleased that all three defendants are willing to take responsibility for their actions and admit their wrongdoing,鈥� Doorley said in a prepared statement.
The plea deal also resolves separate gun and child endangerment charges against Warren. In July, Warren and husband Timothy Granison pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from a police raid that allegedly turned up a rifle and pistol, and her 10-year-old daughter alone, in the home they share.
Prude's death received no public attention until months later when his family released police body camera video. Nightly protests erupted after the body camera video was released following pressure from Prude鈥檚 family.
Warren said in September 2020 that it wasn鈥檛 until the previous month that she learned officers had physically restrained Prude. But a report commissioned by Rochester鈥檚 city counci for keeping critical details of the case secret for months and allegedly lying to the public about what they knew.
Michael Hill, The Associated Press
