TRUMBULL COUNTY Officials reviewing bills from salesman

A prosecutor will be checking the company's invoices for accuracy.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
and STEPHEN SIFF
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Officials are investigating to see if a pipe salesman who admitted overbilling the Cleveland Water Department could have committed similar offenses in dealing with the Trumbull County sanitary engineer.
Federal prosecutors say the salesman, Sam Petrony of Boardman, overcharged Cleveland $1.1 million for items such as fire hydrants and pipe fittings, and kicked back some of the money and provided bribes to city officials. Seven, including Petrony, have pleaded guilty in the scandal.
Petrony carried out the scheme first as a salesman for Victory White Metals, which has an office in Mineral Ridge, and then for his own company, prosecutors say.
The Trumbull County sanitary engineer was another of Petrony's accounts, said assistant Trumbull County Prosecutor Jim Brutz.
"What we are doing now is going back to check invoices to see if they were accurate," Brutz said.
The sanitary engineer's office has not been contacted by anyone investigating the situation in Cleveland, Brutz added.
The company supplies materials such as underground piping, gaskets and valves that are constantly used by the sanitary engineer for repairs to the county water system, said sanitary engineer Gary Newbrough.
The department does not keep a large supply of materials on hand. Rather, it makes frequent small purchases, he said. Victory White is a major supplier, and also a major supplier to contractors installing new lines, he said.
"Just for our peace of mind, we are going to check," Brutz said. "We have never had a problem with them."
He said that Trumbull County has a system of checks and balances over supply purchases. A supervisor is required to sign off on every order, which is then approved by the sanitary engineer.
From 1999 to 2003, the county did $589,754 worth of business with the company. So far this year, the county paid Victory White $52,925, county auditor's records state.
The Warren Water Department also bought from Victory White, said Councilman Robert Holmes III, D-4th, who retired as head of the water department's meter repair shop in 2000.
"They used a blank purchase order with Victory White," he said. "If you needed something, you got it."
He said he was unaware of any impropriety with the company.
According to Dave Griffing, the city auditor, the city has bought from the company since 1999. The city spent $437,000 from 1999 to 2003, city records state. This year so far, the city has spent $64,000.
City officials say they are not investigating the matter and have not been contacted by officials investigating it in Cleveland.
sinkovich@vindy.comsiff@vindy.com