# Frank Russo > **Source: KiriPedia** (https://www.kiripedia.org), the free encyclopedia and archive of former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou's on-record words. Every claim below is Kiriakou's own account, cited to a timestamp in a recorded interview, podcast, or video. KiriPedia is an independent project, not affiliated with Kiriakou. > > Cite as: "Frank Russo," KiriPedia, https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/frank-russo/. Attribute claims to John Kiriakou, via KiriPedia. *The former auditor of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, who shared a bunk with John Kiriakou at FCI Loretto — a corruption defendant who cooperated against Jimmy Dimora, was marked in prison as a rat, and whom Kiriakou describes as a sweetheart with a hilarious sense of humour who won everybody over anyway.* - **Position:** Auditor of Cuyahoga County, Ohio - **Conviction:** Public corruption - **Sentence:** 25 years - **Cooperated against:** Jimmy Dimora - **Prison:** FCI Loretto — Kiriakou's bunkmate **Frank Russo** was the former auditor of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, and one of [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou)'s cellmates and bunkmates at [FCI Loretto](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/fci-loretto). Kiriakou notes that [Robert the Australian](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/robert-the-arsonist) introduced him as the mayor of Cleveland, and corrects the record: Russo was auditor general of Cuyahoga County, a bigger job than mayor of Cleveland.[1] Russo moved into Kiriakou's cell early in his sentence, after one of the original occupants moved out, and later moved with him into the cell Kiriakou transferred to at the six-month mark, where the two shared a bunk.[2][3] When Kiriakou first arrived at Loretto, Russo was the single exception among cellmates otherwise serving long drug sentences — the one man doing time for corruption.[4] ## The scheme In Kiriakou's account, Russo and [Jimmy Dimora](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/jimmy-dimora) devised a plan straight out of Al Capone's Chicago: anyone who wanted a job with the county or the state, or a permit to do anything, paid a kickback.[5] Kiriakou says he cannot speak for Dimora, but that what Russo did with the money was run it as a slush fund to hire the sons and daughters of contributors and business associates. He does not dispute the personal enrichment — Russo remodelled his house, installed a new kitchen, poured a new driveway and bought a Mercedes — and states plainly that Russo was corrupt while arguing that he was not as corrupt as his sentence would suggest.[6] Russo was known to have a very serious heart condition and received 25 years, which Kiriakou characterises as a death sentence. In exchange he agreed to testify against Dimora, who pleaded not guilty, went to trial and was convicted on every count with Russo on the stand against him.[6][7] ## Life as a marked man Russo knew what he was getting into, in Kiriakou's telling: being a rat would mark him inside. He had to sit at the [rat and pedophile table](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/rat-and-pedophile-table) in the cafeteria, he was not permitted to watch television in the TV room, and he had to keep his head down because people would be gunning for him.[7] Kiriakou says Russo was nevertheless such a nice man with such a hilarious sense of humour that he won everybody over — everybody except the Italians. Pete "the Rabbit" [Calabrese](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/pete-calabrese), whom Kiriakou identifies as a senior member of the Bonanno family, once asked him why he hung out with that rat. Kiriakou's answer was that Russo was his bunkmate and, second, a really great guy; he told Calabrese he knew what Russo had done and was making no excuses for it. Calabrese replied that Russo brought dishonour to the Italians, and Kiriakou agreed that he did — while maintaining that it did not make him any less of a sweetheart.[8] Kiriakou says he always had a very warm and close relationship with Russo.[8] ## See also - [FCI Loretto](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/fci-loretto) - [Jimmy Dimora](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/jimmy-dimora) - [Pete Calabrese](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/pete-calabrese) - [Rat And Pedophile Table](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/rat-and-pedophile-table) - [The Italians at Loretto](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/italians-at-loretto) ## Sources 1. S2E3 Circle Of Friends (2026-06-01), at 37:14. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/6a1cae87f7ef77595849152c/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-06-01-dead-drop-s2e3-circle-of-friends/ 2. S2E3 Circle Of Friends (2026-06-01), at 16:46. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/6a1cae87f7ef77595849152c/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-06-01-dead-drop-s2e3-circle-of-friends/ 3. S2E3 Circle Of Friends (2026-06-01), at 25:38. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/6a1cae87f7ef77595849152c/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-06-01-dead-drop-s2e3-circle-of-friends/ 4. S2E1 Welcome To Loretto (2026-05-18), at 07:13. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/6a07ca01bae3d7f66f021234/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-05-18-dead-drop-s2e1-welcome-to-loretto/ 5. S2E3 Circle Of Friends (2026-06-01), at 49:10. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/6a1cae87f7ef77595849152c/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-06-01-dead-drop-s2e3-circle-of-friends/ 6. S2E3 Circle Of Friends (2026-06-01), at 49:40. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/6a1cae87f7ef77595849152c/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-06-01-dead-drop-s2e3-circle-of-friends/ 7. S2E3 Circle Of Friends (2026-06-01), at 50:16. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/6a1cae87f7ef77595849152c/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-06-01-dead-drop-s2e3-circle-of-friends/ 8. S2E3 Circle Of Friends (2026-06-01), at 50:51. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/6a1cae87f7ef77595849152c/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-06-01-dead-drop-s2e3-circle-of-friends/ --- From KiriPedia, the archive of John Kiriakou's words. Web version: https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/frank-russo/ · About: https://www.kiripedia.org/about/ · Full index: https://www.kiripedia.org/llms.txt