Man faces charges in bribery of Cleveland water officials

YOUNGSTOWN -- A one-count criminal information charging Samuel Petrony, 43, of Glenwood Avenue, Boardman, with racketeering has been filed in U.S. District Court, Cleveland.
Petrony is accused of bribing Cleveland Water Division officials from 1995 to 2003. To date, the investigation has resulted in charges against seven individuals, with five guilty pleas.
For the government to file an information, a defendant waives indictment and, in nearly all cases, enters into a plea agreement.
Petrony, as an employee of Victory White Metals in Cleveland, participated in a scheme to bribe an employee of Cleveland's Water Division and, in exchange, VWM overcharged for goods and services provided. The excess charged was $1.2 million, the government said.
The second extortion scheme involved PEI, a company Petrony formed after he left VWM. He is accused of paying $200,000 in bribes to a water division employee for official acts that meant a loss to Cleveland of $793,000 for casings paid for but never received.
"Today's charge is another chapter in rooting out corruption at the water division," said U.S. Attorney Greg White. "The message must be clear in our community: Pay a bribe and pay the price."
White praised the efforts of the IRS, Parma Police Department, FBI and Cleveland police and administration. The case is being prosecuted by Steven M. Dettelbach and Benita Y. Pearson, assistant U.S. attorneys.