P.G. Sittenfeld: FBI Sting, Bribery Charges, and a Supreme Court Win

P.G. Sittenfeld was the front-runner to be Cincinnati’s next mayor when 8 FBI agents met him in his driveway to arrest him. For about 18 months an old friend and longtime campaign donor had been recording their conversations for the FBI. Undercover agents posed as out-of-town developers who wanted city help with a downtown project. Federal prosecutors charged him with honest-services wire fraud, federal program bribery, and attempted Hobbs Act extortion. A jury acquitted him on 4 of the 6 counts, including both wire fraud counts. It convicted him on 1 bribery count and 1 attempted extortion count tied to $20,000 in campaign contributions. He was sentenced to 16 months and served part of that at FCI Ashland before a federal appeals court released him while his appeal was pending. President Trump pardoned him in May 2025. P.G. had never applied for a pardon. In April 2026 the Supreme Court vacated the appeals court ruling against him, and in August 2026 a federal judge dismissed the indictment with prejudice and ordered the government to refund his fine. On this episode of TARGET he sits down with Alex Little and Amy Nelson to talk about the morning of his arrest, finding out a friend had worn a wire, and what a federal public corruption case does to a marriage and a young family. 0:00 Cold open 1:39 The day his case was dismissed 4:50 If it can happen to him, it can happen to anybody 10:26 The first moment he knew 15:50 Eight FBI agents in his driveway 20:16 An old friend wearing a wire 22:54 Prosecutors, pressure, and accountability 35:38 The process is the punishment 38:47 What it did to his family 45:28 Why prison is the default answer 48:11 Waiting to report to prison 52:04 When the dehumanizing started 55:11 The pardon he never asked for 1:03:52 What he wishes he’d known on day one TARGET is a podcast about what it means to be in the crosshairs of the federal government. Alex Little is a former federal prosecutor and CIA analyst who now defends people facing federal investigations and charges, including bank fraud, wire fraud, bribery, and public corruption cases, at Litson PLLC in Nashville. Amy Nelson’s husband spent 4 years under federal investigation and was never charged. Every week they sit down with someone who has lived it: the indicted, the acquitted, the pardoned, and the convicted. Nobody relitigates the case. The only question is what you wish you’d known before it began. If you have received a target letter, or think you might be under federal investigation for fraud, bribery, or another white collar charge, this show is for you. Watch Episode 1 with Todd and Julie Chrisley:    • Todd and Julie Chrisley: 10 Years a Federa...   Subscribe to TARGET:    / @targetpod   Newsletter: https://thetargetpodcast.substack.com... Instagram:   / thetargetpodcast   Website: https://thetargetpodcast.litson.co From Litson PLLC in Nashville. #TARGETpodcast #PGSittenfeld #Cincinnati #FBISting #PublicCorruption #WireFraud #Bribery #TargetLetter