LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The stage is set for a rare trial on Monday where the Louisville Metro Council will consider removing a fellow member from office.

Councilman Anthony Piagentini, R-19, is accused of committing ethics violations when he co-sponsored an ordinance directing a $40 million federal grant that was awarded to his future employer, the Louisville Healthcare CEO Council, or CEOc. 

The former council minority leader recused himself before the final vote on the funding. After the measure passed, Piagentini took a consulting job with the group. 

In October 2023, the bipartisan Louisville Metro Ethics Commission found Piagentini guilty on six of seven charges levied against him in the case and recommended he be removed from Metro Council. 

The grant money was pulled by Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and has since been allocated elsewhere. 

Piagentini continues to maintain his innocence. A month after he was found guilty, the councilman appealed the ruling, arguing in a lawsuit that the findings are "tainted by bias and must be reversed."

"I would rather die than accept what they have accused me of," he said after the ruling.

Piagentini's fellow colleagues will weigh eight charges against him and the possibility of his removal. His 24 fellow Council members will serve as the jury. A majority vote of 18 is needed to remove him.

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