YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office is not opposing expungement of the criminal record of former longtime state Rep. Ronald V. Gerberry, 70, who was convicted in August 2015 of misdemeanor unlawful compensation of a public official.

Gerberry had served 27 years in the Ohio House of Representatives at the time of his conviction and resignation from the House.

Gerberry admitted he hid campaign money from the Ohio House Democratic Caucus by giving it to a vendor to make it appear he had spent that money and then had it refunded to his campaign. That allowed Gerberry to pay less campaign money to the caucus. The caucus used such money to help get Democrats elected to the House, according to Vindicator files from the time of Gerberry’s convictions.

The offenses took place between October 2008 and October 2010 when Gerberry “did knowingly solicit (or accept) compensation other than as allowed (under Ohio law) … to perform the public servant’s official duties,” according to court documents.

Judge Maureen Sweeney of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court is overseeing the expungement request. No hearing is scheduled yet.

Kyle Hilles, a county assistant prosecutor, filed a response to Gerberry’s Dec. 13 request for expungement, saying the prosecutor’s office does not oppose the expungement, “as the defendant is a statutorily eligible offender.”

Gerberry pleaded guilty Aug. 21, 2015, and was sentenced Oct. 19, 2015, to 180 days in the Mahoning County jail and a $1,000 fine. The jail time and fine were suspended, and he was placed on probation for three years to be monitored by the Community Corrections Association of Youngstown and ordered to perform 500 hours of community service, according to court documents.

In August 2016, Gerberry’s probation officer recommended that Gerberry’s probation be terminated because Gerberry had complied with “all court-ordered sanctions and regulations,” according to court documents. Sweeney ordered the discharge of Gerberry’s probation.

In Gerberry’s expungement application, his lawyer included a letter from Gerberry to the judge, stating “My actions and the resulting finding of guilt have brought me great personal shame and embarrassment and is something I will always regret.

“Again I apologize to the court, the Ohio House of Representatives, the residents of Mahoning County and most of all to my wife, children and my entire family,” he wrote.

“After receiving my sentence from the court, I immediately began complying with the terms of my probation, including fulfilling my community service obligation. I completed my community service of 500 hours over a period of 11 weeks, beginning on Sept. 9, 2015, and ending Nov. 18, 2015. Most of my service was done at the St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen and Youngstown Area Goodwill.”

Gerberry added, “Exactly one year and two days after my guilty plea, Judge Sweeney, by order of the court, ended my three-year probationary period. While not required by the court, I donated all of the funds existing in my campaign account ($46,000) to numerous charitable organizations in Mahoning County, after which I terminated my campaign committee.”

He said he continued volunteering with Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries, frequently with Radio Reading.

Gerberry said he has been “advised during counseling that I must move forward and forgive myself for having made this mistake. Doing so has been terribly difficult for me, and I remain hopeful that the court’s formally expunging my record will help with this adjustment.

“I understand with today’s social media and internet, this black mark on my life cannot be completely erased. Indeed, my actions tarnished a wonderful 41-year career of public service, and while I will remain forever embarrassed for what I did, I am sorry. Yet I continue to live my life in a manner wherein I seek to contribute to society in a positive way. I recently have been appointed to the board of directors of both the Youngstown Area Goodwill and Mahoning County Children Services.”

Among the letters to Sweeney recommending that Gerberry’s record be expunged is one from Joseph J. Vukovich, who served in the Ohio House with Gerberry for 10 years. Vukovich and Gerberry drove to and from Columbus together. Vukovich served nearly 18 years in the Ohio General Assembly. Vukovich also served three 6-year terms as a judge of the 7th District Court of Appeals.

“I trusted him then and I trust him now,” Vukovich stated in the letter. “Ron is a friend and colleague of over 40 years. If anyone deserves to have the single aberration in a lifetime of outstanding public service removed, it’s Ron Gerberry.”

Mahoning County Commissioner David Ditzler also wrote a letter of support for Gerberry, saying he has known Gerberry since they were teenagers in Austintown.

“His elective service to our community spanned more than 40 years from the Austintown School Board, county recorder and many years in the Ohio Legislature. As a longtime friend and public servant colleague, I along with the other county commissioners were pleased to appoint Ron to the Mahoning County Children Services Board earlier this year,” Ditzler stated in his Oct. 12, 2023, letter.

“I know he is a trustworthy individual with vast experience and will serve as a great asset to the CSB board,” Ditzler said, adding that Gerberry is a “good person and has lived a good life.”