Troubled Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren pleads guilty to campaign finance violations and agrees to resign as part of plea deal which also resolves gun and child endangerment charges

  • Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of accepting campaign contributions that exceeded legal limits on Monday
  • As part of her plea deal, she will resign from office effective December 1; Deputy Mayor James Smith is expected to finish out the term which ends in January
  • Warren was facing several felony charges of campaign violations tied to her 2017 re-election campaign along with Rosiland Brooks-Harris and Albert Jones Jr.
  • She was also facing separate charges of with child endangerment and criminal firearm possession 
  • Her estranged husband Timothy Granison is custody related to a 'mid-level' drug trafficking investigation 
  • Local activist groups have also called for Warren to resign over her handling of the death of Daniel Prude, a 41-year-old black man who died in police custody 

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren pleaded guilty on Monday and 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, 44, was scheduled to go on trial Monday on felony charges she and two assistants took steps to evade contribution limits. 

Instead, Warren, the first female and second black mayor of Rochester, pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of accepting campaign contributions that exceeded legal limits, according to the Monroe County district attorney's office.

Her two co-defendants, Rosiland Brooks-Harris, political action committee treasurer and Rochester finance director, and Warren's campaign treasurer, Albert Jones Jr., have also pleaded guilty to the same charge. 

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren (center) pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of accepting campaign contributions that exceeded legal limits on Monday

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren (center) pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of accepting campaign contributions that exceeded legal limits on Monday 

Warren (center) was facing felony charges of campaign finance violations and separate firearms and child endangerment charges

Warren (center) was facing felony charges of campaign finance violations and separate firearms and child endangerment charges 

As part of Warren's (center) plea deal, she will effectively resign from office on December 1 as Deputy Mayor James Smith will complete her term, which ends in January

As part of Warren's (center) plea deal, she will effectively resign from office on December 1 as Deputy Mayor James Smith will complete her term, which ends in January 

The resignation will provide an early end to a tumultuous mayoral term in New York´s third-largest city with separate firearms and child endangerment charges and the public outrage surrounding the suffocation death of Daniel Prude, a black man who died in police custody in March 2020.  

Her resignation will be effective by December 1. Warren was set to leave office in January after losing a Democratic primary to City Councilmember Malik Evans earlier this year. Deputy Mayor James Smith is expected to finish out the remainder of Warren's term.

Warren and her co-defendants face a year-long conditional discharge along with Warren's 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.

'Leaving the past behind and looking forward to a brighter future. Thank you Rochester,' Warren wrote. 'We´ve accomplished a lot together, but in the end, I thank God that I´m able to choose family over everything.'

Warren had previously denied any attempt to evade campaign finance rules, blamed errors on sloppy bookkeeping and referred to the investigation as a political witch hunt.

'Clearly, there was no scheme to defraud,' Warren´s attorney, Joseph Damelio, told reporters outside of court.

District Attorney Sandra Doorley called the resolution 'fair and just' and said it was an important step in promoting ethical elections.

'Moving forward, the ramifications of the Mayor´s conduct spans beyond the criminal justice system. The Monroe County District Attorney´s Office is pleased that all three defendants are willing to take responsibility for their actions and admit their wrongdoing,' Doorley said in a prepared statement.

Warren, the first female and second black mayor of Rochester, was entangled in a string of controversies in her second-term. Along with her charges, she faced calls to resign following the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died in police custody after being restrained during a mental health episode (Pictured: Warren shared this picture on Facebook in a goodbye post on Monday after she pleaded guilty)

Warren, the first female and second black mayor of Rochester, was entangled in a string of controversies in her second-term. Along with her charges, she faced calls to resign following the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died in police custody after being restrained during a mental health episode (Pictured: Warren shared this picture on Facebook in a goodbye post on Monday after she pleaded guilty)

Rosiland Brooks-Harris, (right) political action committee treasurer and Rochester finance director, also pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of accepting campaign contributions that exceeded legal limits

Rosiland Brooks-Harris, (right) political action committee treasurer and Rochester finance director, also pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of accepting campaign contributions that exceeded legal limits

Albert Jones Jr., (left) Rochester finance director, and Warren's campaign treasurer, pleaded guilty to the same charge as Warren and Brooks-Harris. All three defendants face a year-long conditional discharge

Albert Jones Jr., (left) Rochester finance director, and Warren's campaign treasurer, pleaded guilty to the same charge as Warren and Brooks-Harris. All three defendants face a year-long conditional discharge

During Warren's arraignment in October 2020, Doorley said that election officials began fielding complaints about Warren's campaign finances in 2017, when the incumbent defeated two challengers in a Democratic primary prior to her reelection. 

Doorley said the state Board of Elections presented a 35-page report in March 'that found considerable evidence' that Warren, Jones and Brooks-Harris may have violated the law and broken campaign finance rules and committed fraud during her reelection campaign. 

The grand jury was seated in September.

The plea deal also resolves separate gun and child endangerment charges against Warren. In July, Warren and her estranged 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. 

Warren's attorney said the mayor didn't know about the guns. She could have faced prison time and lost her law license if convicted of felony charges.  

Authorities searched the family's home on May 19, as part of a cocaine trafficking investigation, authorities said at the time.

Granison, 42, was charged with drug counts after he was pulled over by police in his car and was found to be what investigators allege was a large quantity of cocaine, authorities said in May, and pleaded not guilty.  

Dkeidron Dublin was also in the vehicle at the time.

The two men were pulled over as part of a wire-tapping investigation by the DAs office that began seven months ago.

The probe didn't originally target Granison but appeared on the radar of investigators around three months ago.

Investigators then carried out a raid on the home he shares with the mayor and seized two firearms - a semi-automatic rifle and a loaded handgun.

The couple's 10-year-old daughter, Taylor, was home alone at the time.

Police searched the couple's home in connection to what authorities said was a 'mid-level' cocaine investigation. The search revealed a rifle and a handgun. The couple's 10-year-old daughter, pictured here, was allegedly left home alone at the time of the search

Police searched the couple's home in connection to what authorities said was a 'mid-level' cocaine investigation. The search revealed a rifle and a handgun. The couple's 10-year-old daughter, pictured here, was allegedly left home alone at the time of the search

The Democrat's home (pictured) was one of seven raided that day as part of a drug trafficking investigation

The Democrat's home (pictured) was one of seven raided that day as part of a drug trafficking investigation 

Timothy Granison is seen being escorted from the State Police barracks on May 19
Timothy Granison is seen being escorted from the State Police barracks on May 19

Timothy Granison is seen being escorted from the State Police barracks on May 19, 2020

Granison hid his face under a shirt as he left jail on May 20 following his first court appearance on criminal drugs and firearms charges. Warren was not charged in the drug investigation

Granison hid his face under a shirt as he left jail on May 20 following his first court appearance on criminal drugs and firearms charges. Warren was not charged in the drug investigation 

Granison appeared via video (above) on May 20 in Rochester City Court from the Monroe County jail, where he spent the night following his arrest the day before

Granison appeared via video (above) on May 20 in Rochester City Court from the Monroe County jail, where he spent the night following his arrest the day before

Investigators said the raid on the couple home was part of a 'significant' mid-level drug operation in which Granison along with seven others were charged, although the mayor, who said she signed a separation agreement with Granison years ago, was not among those charged in the drug investigation.

More than two kilos of powdered and crack cocaine with a street value of around $60,000 were seized from the homes together with three firearms and one semi-automatic rifle.

One of the unregistered guns together with the rifle were allegedly found in the mayor's house together with $100,000 in cash.

The seven people charged in the drug investigation, including Granison are: Dublin, 39, 44-year-old Jason Siplin, 27-year-old Jason Siplin, Jr., 30-year-old Namon Brown, 19-year-old Ernest S. Gamble and 32-year-old Lytrice Jackson.

A day after the raid, Warren hit out at the 'highly suspicious' timing of her husband's arrest. 

'There's nothing implicating me in these charges announced today, because I've done nothing wrong,' Warren said in a prepared statement. 'I haven't spoken to Tim since his arrest, and I'm not standing here to defend him.'

She was seeking reelection as Rochester mayor for a third term, and the mayoral primary was on June 22 - one day after the date set for Granison's next court appearance.

She suggested that Doorley, a Republican, had been politically motivated in the timing of her husband's arrest.

'Let's ask ourselves why - I find the timing of yesterday's events three weeks before early voting starts to be highly suspicious,' she said.

'We need to ask ourselves, if this is not about politics why is Tim's next court date June 21, the day before primary day? Now that is quite the coincidence.'

Warren has faced calls for her resignation since the recordings of Prude's death sparked outrage and protests. 

Daniel Prude was left brain dead after the incident and later died on March 30, 2020 after he was taken off of life support – seven days after the encounter with police in Rochester
Prude, known to his big Chicago-based family by the nickname ‘Rell,’ was a father of five adult children and had been working at a warehouse within the last year, said his aunt Letoria Moore

Daniel Prude was left brain dead after the incident and later died on March 30, 2020 after he was taken off of life support – seven days after the encounter with police in Rochester

Warren had been under heavy criticism for the city's handling of the suffocation death of Prude, a black man who died a week after being held by police officers against the pavement for nearly two minutes and 15 seconds, until he stopped breathing. Prude had bolted from his brother's home and shed his clothes during an apparent mental health episode. 

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´s family.

Warren said in September 2020 that it wasn´t until the previous month that she learned officers had physically restrained Prude. 

But a report commissioned by Rochester´s city council faulted her and the former police chief for keeping critical details of the case secret for months and allegedly lying to the public about what they knew.

Seven officers were suspended but only Officer Mark Vaughn has been served 'with departmental charges,' a statement read.