LAWRENCE COUNTY 'Ducky' Conti gets fine, probation

A second set of charges against Conti is still pending.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR PENNSYLVANIA BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Donald Conti will be on probation for twice the amount of time he expected.
Judge J. Craig Cox of Lawrence County Common Pleas Court sentenced Conti, also known as "Ducky," to 24 months' probation, a $500 fine and court and supervision fees for his guilty plea on a gambling device violation.
Conti, a member of the Lawrence County Housing Authority's board of directors, went to court Tuesday expecting 12 months' probation and court costs, something that had been recommended by the district attorney's office.
Judge Cox offered no explanation for the expanded sentence.
Conti, 50, of Home Street, New Castle, had no comment after his sentencing.
"I think it was more than fair. I just want him to move on with his life," said Conti's attorney, Carmen Lamancusa, after the sentencing.
Guilty plea
Conti pleaded guilty last month to one charge of violating the state gambling device law. Pennsylvania State Police contend that Conti paid out on an illegal poker machine at the now defunct Vita Nuova Club on East Washington Street. Police raided the club in July 2004 and took four video poker machines. A liquor code violation was dropped in exchange for the plea.
Still pending is a second set of charges in the same matter filed by New Castle Police.
Conti has applied for accelerated rehabilitation disposition, a program under which first-time offenders do not enter pleas, but can be given probation. When that's complete, their criminal records are expunged. It's unclear if the court will accept Conti's application.
County Commissioner Dan Vogler said the commissioners are eager to have Conti removed from the county housing authority since he was sentenced. They filed a court action against Conti last month asking for his removal. A hearing is set for April 24. Conti has hired attorney Alexander Lindsay of Butler to help him fight the commissioners' court action.
During Conti's sentencing, Lamancusa said Conti is unable to work because he has multiple sclerosis and has joined nonprofit boards and clubs to be part of the community.
Affordable Housing
Conti was the most recent member to resign from the embattled Affordable Housing of Lawrence County board, a nonprofit spinoff organization of the housing authority.
The group is now disbanding after losing the majority of its board members and coming under scrutiny after buying several homes in New Castle for far above their county-assessed property values.
cioffi@vindy.com