Jury selection in the public corruption trial of the long-time former mayor of Niles begins in Trumbull County.

Ex-Niles Mayor Ralph Infante faces 41 charges including theft in office, bribery, money laundering and illegal gambling.

Prosecutors allege Infante ran an illegal gambling operation out of the ITAM 39 Club in Girard for as long as he was in office, which was a total of 24 years. 

The selection process started Monday morning in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court with visiting Judge Patricia Cosgrove presiding over the case. With 80 potential jury members in the pool, close to 20 admitted they were exposed to pretrial publicity.

Cosgrove said she expects the trial will last about two weeks once a jury is seated.

Monday, she called each potential jury member into a private room throughout the day for individual questioning.

Cosgrove expects the selection process will be lengthy as she moves forward with trying to seat 12 members despite a request by the defense to move the case somewhere else.

Ralph Infante arrived in court without his wife by his side. 

Judith Infante took a plea deal last week, pleading guilty to a low-level felony charge related to filing false tax returns and a misdemeanor falsification charge.

She along with the city's former auditor, Charles Nader, were charged in addition to former mayor Infante in the corruption case. Judith Infante and Nader are scheduled to be sentenced in May.