WARREN County lawyer seeks missing scrubber

Workers said they do not sell scrubbers. The owner, though, disagreed.
By STEPHEN SIFF
and PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Trumbull County paid $7,000 to buy a floor scrubber from someone who doesn't normally sell floor scrubbers, and now it's missing.
In a letter to county commissioners, James Misocky, first assistant prosecutor, traced the equipment from its purchase at a bingo and party supply company to its disappearance.
"It is the request of the prosecutor's office that the commissioners office take all necessary steps to recover this county property," Misocky wrote.
He suggested the commissioners ask former maintenance director Tony Delmont, who has pleaded innocent to theft in office, bribery and money laundering, to help them figure out where it is.
The county maintenance department bought the scrubber in 1999 from Donald Donofrio of Brookfield, a contractor who scrubs the county floors, the letter said.
Donofrio, whose company operated out of a post office box and has no business phone, was not in the business of selling equipment, the letter said.
Where he bought scrubber
He bought the floor scrubber from Nannicola Inc., a bingo and party supply company, for $5,700, investigators from the state Auditor's Office and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation found, Misocky's letter said.
"Representatives of Nannicola stated to BCI agents that Nannicola does not sell floor scrubbers, and they only specially ordered the scrubber, which was described as a 'scratch and dent' model from a third party and delivered," the letter says.
"Therefore, according to the facts developed by this office, Mr. Delmont purchased a floor scrubber from Donofrio, who did not sell scrubbers, for $7,000, who had in turn purchased the same scrubber from Nannicola, who also did not sell scrubbers, who had in turn purchased the same scrubber from an apparent dealer in scrubbers," the letter says.
"In short, Donofrio Services was paid by the county $1,250 to order something he does not sell. He also bought the merchandise from someone else who does not sell the merchandise," the letter said.
Frank Nannicola, however, said Wednesday that his company, located on Youngstown-Warren Road, sells a wide variety of items -- including motorized equipment. "We do sell floor scrubbers," he said. Nannicola offered to show the range of equipment the company has for sale at its warehouse.
The floor scrubber was used by Donofrio, whose company has billed the county for $113,000 since 2000, to clean floors in the family court detention center.
Disappearance
In an affidavit, maintenance department worker William Hart told prosecutors that he called Donofrio on Wednesday, trying to locate the machine.
Hart said Donofrio said he took the floor scrubber to be repaired at a Youngstown shop two years ago. Donofrio said he didn't know where the scrubber was, and that the repair shop owner had died, Hart said in his affidavit.
Donofrio did not return a telephone call.
Atty. Damian A. Billak, who represents Donofrio, said he has not been contacted by the prosecutor's office about the scrubber.
"We had a meeting set up with the prosecutor's office two weeks ago, but they canceled it," Billak said.
siff@vindy.com sinkovich@vindy.com