Public officials mentioned by Sabatine deny taking money

Sferra says he wouldn't know the paving contractor if he walked in the room.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORTS
Former mayors of Warren and New Castle and other area officials deny any knowledge about bribes or campaign contributions as suggested in Wednesday's testimony at U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr.'s corruption trial.
James R. Sabatine, a former paving contractor, acknowledged during questioning by Traficant that he paid money to several public officials including former Warren Mayor Dan Sferra.
Sferra, now a state legislator, said he's shocked at the accusation that he received $2,500 from Sabatine.
"I swear to you that if Mr. Sabatine entered this room now I wouldn't know who he was," said Sferra, who is in Florida on a golfing vacation.
"This has me so upset, I can't even relax," he said, adding that he is not familiar with Sabatine and never took any money from him.
"I don't even think his company did any work in the city [while I was mayor]. I am going to have to check.
"I don't know why he would mention me and I can't figure out why the FBI or somebody from the U.S. attorney's office didn't contact me about this."
Denials in New Castle: The current mayor of New Castle and his predecessor say they aren't the men James Sabatine was talking about when he said a bribe was paid to an unnamed New Castle mayor.
"I have no recall of the guy. I have no recall of the company's name," said Richard Christofer, who served as New Castle's mayor from 1988 to 1995.
Current Mayor Timothy Fulkerson also said that he does not know Sabatine and the city has not done business with his company in his six years as mayor.
"I hope he's not accusing Mayor Tim Fulkerson. Mayor Tim Fulkerson has nothing to do with this. I don't even know the guy," Fulkerson said.
City Administrator John DiMuccio said New Castle hired Sabatine's company, Hardrives Paving and Construction Inc., for paving work in 1992 and 1994. Both were publicly bid jobs with contracts awarded by city council, DiMuccio said.
The mayor typically is not involved during the public bidding process, he said. Hardrives was paid $120,000 in 1992 and $23,000 in 1994 for paving work, DiMuccio said.
Christofer said he doesn't remember the city's doing business with Hardrives during those years.
Trumbull auditor: Trumbull County Auditor David Hines said he has "no clue" why his name surfaced regarding taking campaign contributions from Sabatine.
"I never went to James R. Sabatine's office and never took any money," Hines said.
"I wish I could ask him if he gave me, personally, the money because he didn't."
Hines noted that Sabatine may have bought tickets for a fund-raiser from one of his campaign workers.
"I must have missed the boat because no one has ever come up to me and just given me a hundred dollars or anything like that," Hines said.
"Plus, I don't award any contracts."
Sabatine, who lives in Canfield, owned Hardrives in Mineral Ridge until 2000.
In a list read by Traficant from an FBI report was $2,000 the paving contractor said he paid to a Weathersfield road superintendent.
No name or year was specified.
"I haven't heard anything about it," said David Pugh, Weathersfield administrator. "I'm sure if there's any truth to it, the FBI would be investigating it."
Pugh's duties since he was hired as administrator in 1996 include road superintendent.
"I can guarantee I took no bribe," he said.
Struthers mentioned: The Struthers road superintendent mentioned by Traficant during his questioning of Sabatine is Ronald A. Carcelli, who retired last year as the city's street foreman. Carcelli could not be reached to comment today.
Carcelli told The Vindicator in March 2001 that he was questioned by federal authorities about a $128,546 paving contract of State Street awarded by the city in 1995 to Tone Crack Sealing and Supply Inc. Carcelli said at the time that he had no involvement in the contract nor did he personally benefit from it.
Other city officials said FBI agents asked them about the project and if Carcelli had any involvement in the contract.
Sabatine's company was the subcontractor on that job and did most of the work, federal authorities say.
Sabatine pleaded guilty in August to charges of engaging in a pattern of racketeering and filing a false income tax return related to the Struthers contract and others.
Renee Smith, who owned Tone Crack, was indicted in December on three counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud related to her involvement in the contracts.