A Cleveland man has been sentenced for stealing funds while working at a municipal court. Orlando Chappell, 61, received five years of probation and must pay $37,931.47 in restitution. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge John R. Adams after Chappell pleaded guilty to Federal Program Theft in August 2025.
Chappell worked as a deputy clerk at the City of East Cleveland Municipal Court between 2012 and 2023. His duties included collecting fines and fees for the city and assisting landlords with rental property evictions. Landlords paid fees to file eviction paperwork, which Chappell collected in cash. According to his plea agreement, he did not record these transactions in the court’s digital system but instead kept the cash for himself.
Chappell admitted that he embezzled $37,931.47 from these payments over several years. Since the City of East Cleveland received federal grants during his employment, federal authorities were able to prosecute him for defrauding the government.
The case was investigated by the FBI Cleveland Division and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Brydle for the Northern District of Ohio.
