CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Federal prosecutors argue former Summit County Councilwoman Tamela Lee should face a harsh prison sentence in a corruption case because she has shown no remorse for the crimes.

Lee, who was convicted in February of a half-dozen corruption-related charges, and her supporters circulated two fundraising letters soliciting legal defense fund donations for her appeal. She maintained her innocence in her letter and supporters called her prosecution "politically motivated" in a separate letter, according to filings from federal prosecutors entered Friday in federal court.

The memo asks U.S. District Judge Christopher Boyko to impose a prison sentence of up to eight years when Lee is sentenced Thursday.

"Early in her career in public office, Lee became inured over time to the immorality and illegality of her conduct and moment by moment justified her behavior to herself and others," Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Barr wrote in a sentencing memo. "Her moral compass needs reset and a guideline sentence based on the arguments stated above is the only way to even attempt to do so."

One of the fundraising letters Barr filed along with her sentencing memo claimed Lee's convictions were "an egregious travesty of justice."

(You can read the letters, along with prosecutors' and defense attorneys' sentencing memos, at the bottom of this story.)

The fundraising letters say Lee needs thousands of dollars to retain Cleveland attorneys Philip Kushner and Christian Grostic.

One letter, signed by supporters Janice Davis, House of the Lord Minister Frank Jackson and Jean Mankamyer, said "the Prosecutor spent the entire first day defining her as just another angry African-American on the take who was gaming the system."

Davis said Friday that the letter raised less than $10,000 for Lee's legal defense. Her letter contained the opinions of Lee's supporters, Davis said.

Davis said Lee's attorneys told her not to send any other letters. Grostic said he would not comment on whether he told Lee's supporters to stop sending letters.

Lee's defense attorneys asked Boyko to sentence her to 41 to 51 months in prison. Federal prosecutors did not prove Lee received more than $6,500 in bribes, or that she organized criminal activity, they argued in court filings Thursday.

"Ms. Lee has made serious mistakes but also has done much good, Kushner and Grostic wrote in Lee's sentencing memo. "She has done this while battling anxiety and depression. She has helped others, although in need of help herself."

Lee, 58, took more than $6,500 in money, food and cigarettes from Omar Abdelqader -- who is affiliated with multiple convenience stores and businesses in the Akron area, including a Bi Rite on Diagonal Road -- in exchange for her intervention in a criminal case involving his nephews, prosecutors said. She also wrote a letter of support to the IRS for George Albanna, the owner of Prestige Auto Group in Tallmadge who was under investigation at the time.

Jurors deliberated less than two hours before delivering a verdict in her week-long trial.

The verdict cemented a fall for Lee, who was once the second-in-command for the Summit County Democratic Party. She was on the County Council from 2011 to 2016, and lost her seat in a primary race last year.

Lee wrote in the fundraising email after the verdict that "I affirm my innocence of every charge levied against me and I pray that God come swiftly to afford me an attorney to fight for me and the truth."

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