Thursday, March 16, 2006
Violating the court's terms would bring about one year in prison.
WARREN -- Karen Delmont of Warren sobbed in the courthouse hallway after being handed five years' probation in connection with laundering her husband's bribe money.
A plea agreement was reached Jan. 13 for the Trumbull County purchasing scheme participant. Karen Delmont is the estranged wife of former purchasing director Tony Delmont, the chief figure in the scheme.
She had earlier pleaded no contest to money laundering and was found guilty.
On Wednesday, Judge W. Wyatt McKay sentenced her to five years of community control supervision, to continue with mental health counseling, to have DNA testing, to pay a $1,000 fine and court costs, and to perform 100 hours of community service.
Judge McKay warned her that violation of these terms would bring about one year in prison.
Before sentencing, she paced the courthouse second-floor hallway alone. Asked in court whether she had anything to say, Delmont was barely audible, saying she wanted to maintain her innocence. Composed during sentencing, she sobbed in the hallway afterward.
She was with her defense attorney, Philip M. Vigorito. The Trumbull County prosecutor's office was represented by Chris Becker, assistant prosecutor. Karen Delmont had no previous criminal record, and the offense carried no mandatory prison time.
She worked for the county from 1985 to 1998, when she retired on disability. She was a receptionist and secretary in the treasurer's office.
Their crimes
Tony Delmont helped cleaning supply companies bilk some $400,000 from Trumbull County between 1999 and 2002 in return for bribes.
Karen Delmont helped her husband launder $17,000 worth of bribes. She deposited two checks totaling $17,000 in the Delmonts' bank account and later wrote two checks for less than $10,000 each from that account to buy the ITAM Club on Chestnut Street in Warren on March 16, 2000.
Tony Delmont, who was convicted of bribery, theft in office and money laundering in April 2004, was sentenced to three years in prison as soon as he is healthy enough to report. He has leukemia. He has paid the $60,000 he owed the county as restitution for money he stole.