Basheer Jones has been sentenced to serve two years and four months in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to pocketing money meant for the Hough neighborhood that he represented on Cleveland City Council. 

Jones, a 2021 mayoral candidate, admitted in December to charges that included conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Signal Cleveland partner WKYC reported details of Tuesday’s sentence.

As he left court, he told reporters, “God is in control,” according to WKYC.

Prosecutors said Jones used his sway as a council member to convince Cleveland-area nonprofits to pay a romantic partner for a marketing job, a community event that did not occur and a property transaction. Jones and the partner divided the money among themselves and others, according to the charges. 

The partner, Sinera Jones, was charged last week with the same offenses. She has not yet entered a plea in federal court. Previously known as Sinera McCoy, she changed her last name to Jones in 2019, according to probate court records. 

The sentence of 28 months is below the prison term of 33 to 41 months — or about three years — sought by prosecutors. Basheer Jones’s attorney, Fernando Mack, asked that the former council member be sentenced to probation. 

In a letter to U.S. District Judge J. Phillip Calabrese before his sentencing, Jones, 40, accepted responsibility for the crimes.

“Every day, I carry the weight of knowing I betrayed the trust of those who looked up to me,” Jones wrote. “I let down the very people I swore to serve, and I know that I’ve caused pain. I am not here to ask for forgiveness lightly, but I stand before you to make it clear that I fully accept the consequences of my actions.”

Marcia Fudge, Cornel West write letters supporting Jones

Two prominent political figures, former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge and former presidential candidate and scholar Cornel West, submitted letters to the judge on Jones’ behalf. Several other supporters of Jones also wrote letters. 

Fudge, who represented the Cleveland area in Congress before joining President Joe Biden’s cabinet, wrote that Jones was “like a son” to her. She called him a decent man who felt remorse for his actions. 

“Basheer was a brash yet brilliant youngster, struggling to find his way, from homelessness to hurt, to being a contributing member of our community,” she wrote, adding, “He felt the system was stacked against him and it was.” 

Jones worked for West’s 2024 presidential campaign as a Muslim outreach advisor. West wrote that they traveled to more than 20 cities together last year. He called Jones a “major force for good” and asked the judge for mercy. 

“To put it bluntly, he is one of the most inspirational people of his generation I have met in my life!” West wrote. “Like all of us, he is a fallible human being who makes mistakes and deserves a second chance.” 

Charges center on nonprofit work in Jones’ ward

Jones admitted that he tried to make money off of deals with four different nonprofits by channeling money through a company that McCoy controlled. The charging document did not name the nonprofits involved. 

In one instance, Jones asked a nonprofit to hire McCoy as a community outreach coordinator. The nonprofit paid her company $40,500 despite the fact that neither she nor the company did substantial work, according to the charges. 

In May 2020, Jones convinced the nonprofit to pay $50,000 to McCoy’s company for gift cards, backpacks and other items for a community event, the charges said. Instead of holding the event, Jones and McCoy divided up much of the money, prosecutors said. 

Prosecutors also said that Jones encouraged another nonprofit to buy land in the Hough neighborhood that had recently been transferred to McCoy’s company. The nonprofit, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, bought the land for $45,000 through a subsidiary, property records show. 

One other real estate scheme did not pan out. Jones sponsored legislation to spend city money helping the nonprofit Lexington Bell buy a building on Superior Avenue, council records show. The land was transferred to McCoy’s company before the proposed sale, according to prosecutors. 

Lexington Bell did not end up buying the property, records show.