TRUMBULL SHERIFF Candidate: No special favors

Tsagaris, Goldberg, his wife and a friend met privately, without guards.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- The challenger to Trumbull County Sheriff Thomas Altiere in next month's primary election said he believes Altiere gave special treatment to an inmate at the jail -- something he won't do, if elected.
During a meeting with Vindicator editors this week, Democratic candidate Joseph Consiglio said he would not allow any inmates to get special treatment.
Consiglio said it was wrong that Richard Goldberg, a former local attorney, was allowed to meet with family and friends in a conference room next to Altiere's office.
"This would not happen if I was in office," Consiglio said. "Everyone would be treated the same."
Altiere said he arranged the meeting -- four years ago -- after receiving a call from Commissioner James Tsagaris.
Doesn't recall request
Tsagaris, however, says he doesn't remember asking for the meeting. He said he remembers visiting one time with Goldberg, and he believes that meeting was in the room where all prisoners meet with visitors.
Tsagaris, Goldberg's wife and one of Goldberg's friends were in the private meeting, the sheriff said. No jail guards were in the room. Altiere said he was standing outside the door to the room.
"This happened about four years ago, so I don't recall the exact date, but it was on the weekend and I came in on my day off," Altiere said. "I checked with the U.S. Marshal Service and they said it would be OK."
But Pete Elliot, United States Marshal for the Northern District, said Thursday that it is against the department's policy to grant that type of visit.
Altiere said that he remembers he spoke with David Troutman, former U.S. Marshal. Troutman, reached Thursday at his Akron home, says he doesn't remember the conversation.
He added, however, that he would not have said that type of visit was OK.
Goldberg was housed at the county jail before being sent to a federal prison, Altiere said.
Released from prison
Goldberg, formerly of Liberty, was released from federal prison in October after serving a 54-month federal sentence for defrauding clients out of $4.5 million they were owed from lawsuits.
After being released from federal custody in the fall, Goldberg was taken to Mahoning County jail to serve a 21-month jail term on contempt charges.
"The commissioner called me, and I probably should have said no," Altiere said. He noted that after the first meeting with Goldberg, Tsagaris called again and asked him to arrange another visit.
"I remember the second time he called because he called me on my cell phone and I was in church," Altiere said. "They were taken to a room in the jail for that meeting. They used a room attorneys use when they meet with clients."
The sheriff said he is not sure when that meeting took place. He said he did not go to the jail for that meeting, so he was not sure who visited with Goldberg.
"I have done this sort of thing for state prisoners all the time," Altiere said. "I let one guy meet with his mother in our break room and I stood outside the door. This doesn't really happen with federal prisoners because most are not from here."
The sheriff said he doesn't recall ever allowing another inmate to use his conference room.
sinkovich@vindy.com