A Cleveland woman has been sentenced for her involvement in a scheme to defraud local nonprofits by working with a public official. Sinera Unique Jones, also known as Sinera McCoy, 46, received three years of probation and two months of home detention from U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko. She pleaded guilty in April to conspiring to commit wire fraud and honest services fraud. Jones was also ordered to pay $143,598.47 in restitution.
According to court documents, the conspiracy took place between December 2018 and June 2021. Jones worked with former Cleveland city councilman Basheer Jones, 40, who was her romantic partner at the time. Together, they persuaded nonprofits to enter into agreements that allowed them to benefit financially under the pretense of supporting projects aimed at redeveloping Ward 7.
The scheme involved soliciting payments from nonprofits for what were believed to be revitalization efforts in Ward 7. However, funds were deposited into accounts controlled by Sinera Jones and then diverted for personal use by both individuals and others at Basheer Jones’s direction.
Efforts were made by both parties to hide their personal relationship while obtaining money from organizations through various methods. In one instance, a nonprofit hired Sinera Jones as a consultant based on Basheer Jones’s recommendation. She submitted invoices despite performing little work and received payment through her consulting business without disclosing her connection to the councilman.
Another part of the scheme included Basheer Jones telling a nonprofit he would help acquire a distressed property from its original owner. He arranged for the owner to sell it to Sinera Jones for $1 with an agreement she would pay a $40,500 city demolition bill—a bill she never paid or disclosed when she immediately resold the property through a business entity for $45,000 back to the nonprofit without revealing her relationship with Basheer Jones.
Altogether, more than $140,000 was taken from several nonprofits as part of these schemes.
Basheer Jones was previously sentenced on April 1, 2025, receiving 28 months in prison after pleading guilty to similar charges of conspiring to commit wire fraud and honest services fraud. He is required to serve three years of supervised release and pay restitution matching that imposed on Sinera Jones.
The investigation was conducted by multiple agencies including the FBI Cleveland Division, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General, and IRS – Criminal Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erica Barnhill and Elliot Morrison prosecuted the case for the Northern District of Ohio.
To report suspected fraud or submit complaints regarding such crimes visit https://www.justice.gov/action-center/report-crime-or-submit-complaint.
