04/12/2026

Former Ohio Senate Candidate Sentenced to Federal Prison for $4.5M Fraud Scheme

United States Attorney's Office Northern District of Ohio

CLEVELAND – A 45-year-old man who embezzled millions from his employer and a local fraternal police organization—to fund a lavish lifestyle and his election campaign—has been sentenced to prison.

Jonathan Leissler, of Stow, Ohio, has been sentenced to 48 months (four years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Pamela A. Barker, after pleading guilty in December 2025 to three counts of Wire Fraud. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment and pay $4,421,154.54 in restitution.

According to court documents, in March 2022 Leissler was hired as the chief financial officer for an industrial supply company in Warrensville Heights, Ohio. In this role, he was entrusted to manage payroll, expenditures, accounts payable, and company credit cards. However, in his first month on the job—and despite already receiving a six-figure salary—he created fake payroll records to add unauthorized extra money to his paychecks in the form of bonuses, commissions, and other payments. Investigators determined that by November 2024 he stole $3.8 million across 70 pay periods.