Several called to testify

The grand jury will meet Thursday and Friday.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
and STEPHEN SIFF
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Several Trumbull County officials and employees have been subpoenaed to testify in front of the grand jury next week in the continuing probe of county maintenance department purchases.
Agents with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation served subpoenas to Sheriff Thomas Altiere, Commissioner James Tsagaris and several maintenance department employees.
Those subpoenaed are scheduled to appear Thursday and Friday.
"Maybe they forgot to ask us something," said Tsagaris, who was also called in March to testify before the panel investigating allegations of theft and bribery in the county purchasing department. He said he would continue to cooperate.
Altiere also said he is not sure why he has to go back. "I have no clue."
Testified in March
Altiere and Tsagaris each spent more than an hour in March testifying in front of a Trumbull County grand jury investigating allegations of theft and bribery in the county maintenance department.
Commissioner Joseph J. Angelo appeared only briefly at the closed hearing before leaving with his attorney. Contacted Friday, Angelo said he has not received another subpoena, but one could be waiting on his desk.
"I have heard they are floating around," he said.
This week, agents also distributed subpoenas to maintenance department employees to appear before the panel. Department head Al DeVengencie would not say if he received one.
"I'm not at liberty to talk about what goes on with the grand jury," he said.
Chris Becker, an assistant county prosecutor who is handling the grand jury, also declined to comment.
Contractor's plea
Also Friday, Dennis Pirko, a heating and air-conditioning contractor, pleaded innocent to new charges of bribing former maintenance director Tony Delmont in exchange for county work. Pirko has collected $327,000 from Trumbull County for parts and labor since 1997.
Prosecutors say Delmont, as maintenance director, spent more on cleaning supplies than necessary in exchange for bribes from vendors.
He has pleaded innocent to bribery, money laundering and theft-in-office charges. In a hearing before Delmont's termination by the county, prosecutors said he stole about $400,000 from the county since 1998.
So far, five people have been indicted in the case.
One vendor, Barry Jacobson of Envirochemical Inc. in Bedford Heights, said in a sworn statement that Delmont said some of the bribes would be distributed to other county officials. No other county officials have been charged.
Jacobson pleaded guilty to bribing Delmont and helping him steal taxpayer funds.