TRUMBULL COUNTY Commissioner asked to verify money claims

The official said a burglar broke into his home and stole the money.
By STEPHEN SIFF
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Trumbull County Commissioner Joseph Angelo Jr. is being asked to prove that $4,000 in campaign cash he reported stolen from his pants pocket had actually been withdrawn from his campaign bank account, and that it was later repaid.
The board of elections will send Angelo a letter asking for documents to back up statements about the missing money the commissioner made on a campaign report filed last week, said elections director Norma Williams.
The board does not normally ask to see documentation of money flowing into campaign accounts, only of expenses. This action comes after discussions with the secretary of state's office, she said.
"They said we should ask to see more since there was a police report and everything," she said.
Report filed
In a May 23 police report, Angelo said he believed a burglar broke into his home on April 26 and stole $4,000 in campaign cash from a pair of pants hanging in his closet.
He later said there was actually $6,000 in campaign money in his pants at the time, but $2,000 was in another pocket and overlooked by the thief.
He had taken the cash out of his campaign bank account to invest it in 6-month certificates of deposit and earn more interest, he said.
Angelo said he repaid his political campaign from his own savings. He did not return phone calls to comment Tuesday afternoon.
The first 2003 annual report the commissioner filed with the board did not account for the money.
In an amended report, filed last week, he reported a $6,000 "cash withdraw for investment purposes" as an expenditure Feb. 13, then two cash donations to replace it on June 13.
Cash donations more than $100 are prohibited by Ohio Elections Law, Williams said.