Lordi moved to prison in Youngstown

YOUNGSTOWN -- Frank A. Lordi, the former Mahoning County commissioner convicted of theft in office, has been moved to a prison closer to home.
Lordi is now an inmate at the medium-security camp on the grounds of the Ohio State Penitentiary, a super-maximum security prison on state Route 616 on the East Side.
The Canfield resident began his 18-month sentence June 1, when he reported to the Mahoning County jail and was transferred that same day to the Lorain Correctional Institution in Grafton, about 70 miles from Youngstown.
About 10 days ago, he was sent to Belmont Correctional Institution in St. Clairsville, about 21/2 hours from Youngstown.
The family requested the latest move.
Reasons: His wife, Marianne, said today that his mother had been ill and he has two sons, 11 and 21, and the ride to St. Clairsville made it difficult for visits. She said he also wants to keep tabs on the business they own that employs 12 people.
Lordi lost several appeals of his conviction and has another appeal in the works, his wife said.
Lordi won the commissioner's seat in 1992 and resigned in February 1999.
The now-defunct Mahoning County Fraud Task Force began an investigation of him in 1997 and he was indicted in April 1998 and found guilty in February 1999.