WARRENSVILLE HEIGHTS, Ohio (WOIO) – Warrensville Heights Mayor Bradley Sellers has been charged with petty theft and forgery. 19 News was first to break the story Tuesday night.

19 Investigates has found that these allegations stem from a 2018 tax scandal. The charges come after a two-year investigation by the Ohio Ethics Commission, and a Summit County special prosecutor is handling the case.

Brad Sellers played basketball at Ohio State University and played in the NBA for the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. He became mayor of Warrensville Heights in 2012.

“I was surprised,” said Warrensville Heights Councilman Matt Howard. “I and some other council members were really wondering what was going on here after not hearing anything.”

Howard said the mayor applied for a 100 percent tax abatement on his home on Rue Saint Ann Court in 2018. Rules for the abatement require all applicants to be debt-free, but Cuyahoga County records show he owed more than $13,000 in property taxes. After the City Council approved the abatement, the sellers notarized it. Howard was a member of the City Council at the time.

“It’s a review process before it even gets to the city council, so we rely heavily on our attorney and our department heads to let us know and our consultants to tell us what’s going on and whether or not this is recommended for approval,” Howard said. “If there are any issues, it gets stopped and sent back, but we haven’t had any issues and we’ve moved forward.”

In a shocking turn of events, Councilman Howard said Mayor Sellers fired Legal Director Teresa Metcalf Beasley on Monday, one day before news of the charges broke.

“I said, oh dear, you know, I can only imagine why or what was going on,” Howard said. “We got no explanation, nothing, just a generic email saying that as of today, Teresa Metcalf Beasley no longer represents the city of Warrensville.”

Under Ohio law, it is a crime to have an unlawful interest in a public contract and to abuse an official position for personal gain.

“He was economic development director for several years before becoming mayor, so you would think he would be familiar with what’s going on. But he should also have legal advice,” Howard said.

Councilman Howard says he and three other council members wanted to discuss the issue in a closed session in 2018, but the council majority rejected the idea.

“Sometimes, I think, if you’re one of those people who wants to know a little bit more about the details of what’s going on, just wants to be kept up to date, you know, you feel a little bit left out, like you’re not part of the team anymore, or because you’re asking the right question or the wrong question, no, you’re not on the same wavelength anymore, I guess you could call it that,” Howard said.

Sellers paid the taxes owed before announcing his candidacy for Cuyahoga County Executive in January 2022. Ten days later, he withdrew his candidacy after media reports surfaced about the tax issue.

“This has been very stressful for me, my local council, numerous residents, businesses and the like,” Howard said. “It’s a little bit of a slap in the face, but I think once this gets sorted out, we’ll all get through this. And again, I want you to hold your elected officials accountable, local leaders, you know, make sure they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing, myself included.”

19 Investigations revealed that the mayor was charged with failure to file tax returns in 2001. He pleaded guilty and the charges were dropped.

Howard says the city later revoked the tax abatement and Sellers paid them back the money.

Sellers did not respond to our email requests for comment, so we knocked on his door Wednesday afternoon, but he did not answer.

19 News also called the legal director and she said she had no comment.

Financial reports from the Ohio Ethics Commission show that Sellers said he had no outstanding debts in 2018.

Sellers will make his first court appearance on September 18.

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