My Valentine’s Day in Prison

My Valentine’s Day in Prison

Two years ago, Valentine’s Day arrived about six weeks after I reported to a federal prison in Ashland, Kentucky. Following a movielike sting operation in which I, then a Cincinnati City Council member, received campaign donations from undercover FBI agents, a jury convicted me of one count of federal extortion and one count of federal bribery, alongside four acquittals. A judge handed down a 16-month sentence. For more than a year, I would be s…

Valentine’s Day as a Writer

I’ve never enjoyed reading Valentine’s Day articles from pseudo-empowered women who write that they would rather be spending February 14th alone than with a partner. Those women who recommend that you take a nice, warm bath with rose petals and treat yourself to a glass of your favorite wine. Those women who tell you that your company is the best company. Those women who sweetly advise you to be your own best friend and proclaim that all men suc…