Thursday, September 23, 2004
The estranged wife of the former maintenance director has been subpoenaed.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- For the first time since a special prosecutor was appointed to take over the Trumbull County purchasing probe, a grand jury is scheduled to convene to hear additional testimony.
Several people, including maintenance employees and Karen Delmont, the estranged wife of former maintenance department directory Tony Delmont, were given subpoenas to appear in front of the grand jury next Wednesday.
Karen Delmont, who has pleaded innocent to a felony charge of money laundering, could not be reached to comment.
Her attorney, Phil Vigorito, said his client was subpoenaed but declined to give additional comment.
This is the first time the grand jury has convened since Prosecutor Dennis Watkins appointed Victor Vigluicci, Portage County prosecutor, to take over the probe. Vigluicci was appointed last month.
Neither Vigluicci nor Watkins could be reached to comment.
For the past two years, Trumbull prosecutors and officials with the state attorney general's office and the state auditor's office have been poring over thousands of documents, including purchase orders and bank statements, to get to the bottom of the scandal.
Eight indictments
The special county grand jury has indicted eight people. Out of the eight, six either worked for or owned janitorial companies that sold goods to the county.
For at least three years, Tony Delmont was buying maintenance and cleaning supplies in huge quantities and at exorbitant prices. He pleaded guilty in May to bribery, money laundering and theft-in-office charges.
But the commissioners and the county sheriff say they had no involvement or knowledge of the scheme despite the numerous indictments and admissions by defendants that elected officials knew of the purchasing scam that cost taxpayers more than $1 million.
In a three-page affidavit on file in common pleas court, Delmont says he gave $50,000 to elected officials, as well as sporting event tickets, electronics equipment and other gifts. He also contended that all his actions were at the specific direction of the commissioners and/or the sheriff.
Commissioners and Sheriff Thomas Altiere have denied the allegations.
During the period in question, Altiere was sheriff and Michael O'Brien, James Tsagaris and Joseph Angelo were commissioners. Angelo and Tsagaris are still county commissioners. O'Brien is the mayor of Warren.
For 1999, 2000 and 2001, the county paid about $570,000 each year for janitorial supplies. Since the fraud has been stopped, the county is paying about $83,000 for supplies, officials said.