Trumbull corruption probe gives no sense of satisfaction

It is becoming more and more difficult to feel any sense of satisfaction from the investigation that was launched four years ago into the bilking of Trumbull County taxpayers. Vindicator reporters revealed in 2002 that hundreds of thousands of dollars were misspent for janitorial supplies that carried price tags so inflated that they would make a Pentagon procurement officer blush.
A criminal investigation was launched, but as yet the most severe penalty extracted was a three-year prison sentence for Tony Delmont, the former county maintenance director. He was found guilty on seven counts of bribery, theft in office and money laundering between 1999 and 2002. Delmont, 50, hasn't served a day in prison because he is being treated for cancer.
Two weeks ago, one of the vendors accused of bribing Delmont pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of bribery and theft. Terry Maiorana is awaiting sentencing, which could range from one month to 12 months in jail. Had he been convicted on the four felony counts he faced, he could have gotten three to 12 years in the penitentiary.
An assistant Trumbull County prosecutor said it was necessary to take the plea to reduced charges from Maiorana because two of the potential witnesses against him are no longer considered reliable because of alcohol and memory problems.
Memory trouble
That's troubling, because there is good reason to believe that Delmont was not at the top of the corruption pyramid in Trumbull County. For one thing, Delmont himself has submitted an affidavit to that effect, saying he gave $50,000 as well as tickets for sporting events, electronic equipment and other gifts to elected county officials. For another, it strains credulity to suggest that Delmont managed to increase county expenditures for basic supplies by a factor of five or six without anyone else noticing and becoming suspicious.
Now, if some witnesses are falling victim to memory loss, and Delmont is suffering with cancer, how much longer does the prosecutor's office have to wrap up this case?
When Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins named Victor V. Vigluicci, the Portage County prosecutor, as a special prosecutor on this case, we were confident that the theft of hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars would be investigating fully and quickly and that justice would be served. Our confidence -- and, we are sure, that of the public -- is waning.
A report by Watkins and Vigluicci to the people on the status of this investigation is long overdue. Justice delayed is justice denied, and so far about all the people have seen is delays.