Officials recalled to speak

One commissioner refused to speak about his grand jury appearance.
BY STEPHEN SIFF
and PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- The parade of Trumbull County officials before a grand jury investigating county purchasing is expected to continue today.
The sheriff and two county commissioners spoke a second time before the grand jury Thursday.
Commissioner James G. Tsagaris and Sheriff Thomas Altiere said that they did not believe they were targets of the probe into what prosecutors say was a theft and bribery scheme originating in Trumbull County's maintenance department.
Commissioner Joseph J. Angelo Jr. refused to speak after his appearance before the panel, which lasted about two minutes. Angelo's first appearance before the grand jury also lasted a few minutes.
Grand jury proceedings are secret and a record of what takes place only rarely becomes public. Prosecutors and members of the jury ask questions of witnesses, who are not allowed to bring lawyers into the grand jury room. A witness can invoke his or her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
If six of the nine members agree that there is enough evidence to accuse someone of a crime, an indictment is issued.
Questions on procedure
"I just provided information," said Altiere, who spent about 15 minutes in the grand jury room. "I don't think that I'm a target."
The sheriff said he was asked about purchasing procedures. Altiere would not state specifically what he was asked.
Tsagaris said the questioning was along the same lines as when he was required to appear several weeks ago.
"They had some more questions they wanted to ask me," he said. "They just had questions about how things were run."
Auditor David Hines has been subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury this morning.
County Administrator Tony Carson refuses to say whether he's received a subpoena.
So far, investigations by local and state prosecutors resulted in a guilty plea from one former vendor for bribery and theft; and indictments for bribery, theft and money laundering against former maintenance department director Tony Delmont, his wife and three additional former vendors.
siff@vindy.comsinkovich@vindy.com