TRUMBULL COUNTY Officials order hold on payments to heating repair company in probe

The company was ordered cut off from further business with the county.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
and STEPHEN SIFF
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- The Trumbull County Prosecutor has instructed county officials not to pay $1,350 worth of outstanding invoices to Northern Engineering, a North Jackson heating repair company.
Trumbull County commissioners sent a letter this week to the maintenance department ordering the company be cut off from further business with the county, "in light of the evidence that has been presented by the Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office."
"I just did it because the prosecutor told us to do it," said Commissioner James Tsagaris. "I don't know who they are or what they do. No idea."
The purpose of the letter is to cease all work done by the company, said Commissioner Michael J. O'Brien.
Documents released by the prosecutor's office Wednesday included a sworn statement from Marietta Brzeczek, a longtime friend of maintenance department chief Anthony Delmont, that she cashed $900 worth of Northern Engineering checks for Delmont.
Amounts billed
The company, which prosecutors say is the business name of Dennis Pirko, has billed the county for $12,713 in 2003. Last year, it billed the county $41,524, county records say.
The company's business phone was busy Friday afternoon.
Northern Engineering employees "made allegations that he was doing work without authorization," said Prosecutor Dennis Watkins.
The two outstanding bills are $1,100 for repair work to a boiler in the Trumbull County Engineer's Cortland garage and $250 for fixing a hot water heater at the jail.
Sheriff Thomas Altiere says he is not familiar with the company.
"When something breaks here we just call maintenance and it is up to them to fix it," Altiere said.
Larger probe
The county prosecutor's office, along with the state Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation and the state auditor's office, began investigating the maintenance department after a series of Vindicator articles about excessive spending and sloppy bookkeeping.
Since the investigation began, three people including Delmont have been charged.
Delmont has pleaded innocent to taking bribes and allowing nine companies to bilk $400,000 from Trumbull County taxpayers over a three-year period.
The co-owner of one of these companies, Barry Jacobson of Envirochemical, has pleaded guilty to bribing Delmont and participating in a scheme to overcharge the county. He has agreed to repay $180,000 restitution and a $20,000 fine.
Delmont's wife, Karen, has also been indicted on one count of money laundering. She has pleaded innocent.
sinkovich@vindy.com siff@vindy.com