Joe Fontana, mayor of London, Ont., to resign from office
London Mayor Joe Fontana is set to step down in the wake of his conviction on three fraud-related charges.
"I am taking this step out of respect for the office of the mayor, the people of London and our judicial system," Fontana said in a statement released today.
Fontana is scheduled to hold a news conference on Thursday.
Fontana was found guilty last week of uttering forged documents, fraud and breach of trust for claiming $1,700 as a work-related expense, money that was used to pay for his son's wedding at London's Marconi Club. The court found that Fontana, at the time a Liberal MP and cabinet minister, also tried to make it look like the money was being used for a political event at the same venue.
He is to return to court on July 15 for sentencing.
Coun. Joni Baechler is among a handful of council members who have asked Fontana to resign.
"Even if he decides to appeal, that's going to be a long period of time, and we still live with this circumstance," she told CBC News. "So I don't think that's reasonable that he would stay even on a leave of absence."
Corrections
- An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that Joe Fontana was found guilty of forgery, fraud and breach of trust. Fontana was actually found guilty of fraud, breach of trust and uttering forged documents.Jun 16, 2014 11:34 AM ET