STRUTHERS Documents wanted in federal probe
The Struthers investigation appears to be an offshoot of a federal probe of Traficant.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
STRUTHERS -- Federal authorities want Struthers documents regarding contracts to be awarded to two Mahoning Valley contractors in the past decade.
Law Director Carol Clemente-Wagner said the city will comply with the subpoena issued by the U.S. attorney's office and turn over the documents by Wednesday to FBI agent Mark Nowak so he can present them to a federal grand jury in Cleveland.
Authorities want records of any business the city did with Hardrives Paving and Construction Inc. of Youngstown and its subsidiaries and the former Prime Contractors Inc. of Canfield.
The subpoena calls for "any and all documents, including but not limited to bank account and loan records, contracts, meeting minutes, memorandums, account work papers, federal, state and local grant and/or loan documents, all bid specifications, proposals, bid tabulation sheets for any project awarded, financial records and paving tickets."
James R. Sabatine, Hardrives owner, could not be reached.
There is no local telephone listing for Cheryl Bucci, listed as the agent in charge of the former company on Ohio Secretary of State records.
Interviews: FBI agents interviewed former and current Struthers city officials this month about a $132,000 road paving contract awarded in 1995 to Tone Crack Sealing and Supply Inc., a company operated by Renee Smith.
Hardrives got at least $55,000 as the primary subcontractor on the job. The contract used state money and had to be awarded to a minority-owned company. Smith, who is black, was the only bidder.
Smith, who acknowledged that she testified in front of a federal grand jury about the contract and other undisclosed issues, is a clerical secretary at the Laborers International Union of North America Local 125.
When the contract was awarded, Smith's boss at Local 125 was Councilman Robert D. Carcelli, D-at large.
City officials say they were asked about Carcelli and his brother, Ron, the city's street foreman, and whether the two received any benefits from the contract.
The councilman acknowledges that he and Tone Crack are being targeted, but says he did nothing wrong. His brother also denies any wrongdoing.
The councilman said he is being targeted possibly because of his friendship with U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr., who has been the target of a federal grand jury investigation for over a year.
City officials say they were asked by FBI agents about any influence Traficant, D-17th, tried to use on them to get contracts for certain companies.
They told the agents that Traficant had not attempted to influence them.
The grand jury in Cleveland is investigating allegations against Traficant of bribery, violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations statute, the Hobbs Act (extortion) and tax evasion.
Sabatine is a Traficant campaign contributor.
Bucci is the husband of Anthony R. Bucci. As part of the Traficant probe, federal authorities investigated if the congressman had any involvement in helping get a $1.2 million Ohio Department of Transportation contract for work in Trumbull County for a company owned by Anthony and his brother, Robert.
A Traficant spokesman has said the congressman helped the Buccis become eligible to bid on the 1996 project.
The brothers, who were former Prime principals, and Cheryl Bucci were indicted in November 1998 on charges that they and others conspired to defraud the government for the purpose of impeding the IRS in collection.
Anthony pleaded guilty after being charged with aiding and abetting mail fraud and conspiracy to defraud the IRS. The charges against his wife were dismissed.
Prime sold its assets in 1998 to an Akron company shortly before the federal indictment was unsealed.
Also, Traficant tried to intervene in 1994 in a dispute between Girard and the Bucci brothers regarding their company's tax delinquency with that city.