Prominent Cleveland businessman Bobby George has been charged with attempted strangulation, more than a year after a woman accused him of multiple violent attacks. Special prosecutors filed the fifth-degree felony charge on Monday, 14 months after a 25-year-old woman alleged that George assaulted her repeatedly over several months.
The 44-year-old Lakewood resident was initially arrested and charged with attempted murder, rape, and kidnapping. Defense attorney Kevin Spellacy confirmed that George plans to plead guilty to the charge during his arraignment on Thursday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. The charge was filed by way of information, indicating that George agreed to waive grand jury proceedings.
Spellacy criticized Cleveland city prosecutors, arguing that they had acted too quickly because of George’s public profile. “The City of Cleveland charged him with a number of felonies that are outrageous,” he said. “You can see the case resolved with the lowest possible felony. It’s been a long 14 months, but here we are.”
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley recused himself from the case due to campaign donations from George’s family. The case was reassigned to Jefferson County Prosecutor Jane Hanlin, who said her focus was both accountability and protection for the victim, Cleveland reports.
“One was holding Mr. George accountable for his horrific behavior, and the other was to make sure that we did everything that we could to protect this young woman,” Hanlin said in an interview. Hanlin added that she worked closely with the victim and her family and that the woman supported the plea deal. “I can’t tell you how much respect I have for this young woman and everything that she has gone through,” she said.
Hanlin confirmed that the attempted strangulation conviction will remain permanently on George’s criminal record. She also stated that she reviewed the case “with a set of fresh eyes” and continued the investigation for several months after the initial arrest.
Police and court records describe a violent incident on June 9, 2024, when an argument between George and the woman turned physical. He allegedly choked her multiple times, threw her around their home, and refused to let her leave. The woman told police she hid in a closet, praying for her life. According to court documents, George found her, forced a towel into her mouth, bit her nose, and spat on her.
The woman also told police that George had assaulted her several times between November 2023 and July 2024, including slamming her head into a table, threatening her with a gun, and sexually assaulting her. George is a well-known restaurateur and owner of Townhall on West 25th Street and Barley House on West 6th Street.
His father, Tony George, is also a prominent businessman and developer. Following Bobby George’s high-profile arrest, the Ohio Senate revoked $3.5 million in state funding previously earmarked for his planned $35 million restaurant and entertainment complex on Cleveland’s East Bank of the Flats.