WARREN Officials seek money in case

The former building official remains free on a $25,000 bond.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Federal officials are seeking forfeiture of $100,000 from a former city building official.
According to court documents, the U.S. Attorney's office will be asking that James Lapmardo be made to turn over the cash officials say he took as part of a scheme to take kickbacks and bribes from contractors.
Lapmardo, 53, of Perkinswood Drive Southeast, entered innocent pleas Wednesday to one charge each of racketeering and conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act bribery, and three counts of Hobbs Act bribery.
Lapmardo, who left his city job in October 2000, remains free on a $25,000 bond. It is not known when he is scheduled to return to court.
Neither he nor his attorney, Albert Palombaro of Boardman, could be reached to comment.
In the indictment
The 26-page indictment states that Lapmardo and an unnamed public official had the power to influence the selection of contractors to perform work for the city, recommend approval of change orders, to issue permits, and to supervise and inspect construction work on city contracts.
From sometime in the early 1990s and continuing through mid-July 2000, Lapmardo and several contractors -- and the unnamed public official -- conspired to "obstruct, delay, and affect commerce by extortion," the indictment states.
Anthony Cervone and Matthew Mesaros of Innerscope Technical Services Inc., of Austintown, were indicted last month on charges of conspiracy to bribe a Warren public official to give Innerscope the contract for demolition of the Mahoningside Power Plant and site cleanup.
Cases pending
Cervone, 53, of Rome Drive, and Mesaros, 36, of New Road, have pleaded innocent, and their cases are pending.
The other contractors indicted and convicted in the scheme are James Nicolaus of T & amp; J Construction Inc. and J & amp; J Enterprises; Dante Massacci Sr. and Dante Massacci Jr., of South Main Sand & amp; Gravel; and James Matash of M & amp;M Excavating.
All three were sentenced to prison for one year and one day.
The indictment also states that a manager of a Warren-area spa gave Lapmardo eight free spa services valued at $140 each. The manager and the spa are not named.
Nicolaus paid Lapmardo about $41,000 for his help in getting contracts to build a new clubhouse at Avalon South golf course, to subcontract on home rehabilitation, to board up two buildings in the city, to demolish several buildings, and to provide an environmental assessment of the Mahoningside Power Plant, federal documents state.
The Massaccis paid around $33,000 for Lapmardo's help in getting contracts to demolish the existing clubhouse at Avalon South Golf Course, to demolish several buildings including the Sanitary Dairy and Bells' Warren Music Centre, and to provide an environmental assessment of the Mahoningside plant, documents state.
Cervone and Mesaros promised to pay Lapmardo $75,000 for the contract to demolish the Mahoningside plant, the documents state. Mesaros is also accused of paying about $6,000 additional for the Mahoningside demolition.
Matash paid about $5,000 for the contract to demolish the Regency Hotel, documents state.
'Disappointed'
"I'm not surprised by this because I've known about the ongoing investigation but I am disappointed," said Greg Hicks, city law director.
The indictment further alleges that Nicolaus, at Lapmardo's direction, acted as a middle man in passing bribes from South Main Sand & amp; Gravel and from Innerscope to Lapmardo.
Nicolaus also created fictitious invoices under Lapmardo's direction to conceal the illegality of the payments.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attys. Ann C. Rowland and Matthew B. Kall after an investigation by the FBI's Youngstown office.
sinkovich@vindy.com