Attorney invalidates complaint over engineer

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Trumbull County Engineer David DeChristofaro

By Ed Runyan

There was no reason to bribe a close friend who had already given full support, the attorney said.

WARREN — The attorney assigned to investigate an allegation involving the newly elected Trumbull County engineer has reported to the county elections board that he has found no evidence of any criminal conduct.

Atty. Thomas Wilson, assigned to look at a complaint filed against David DeChristofaro, said the discussion DeChristofaro had with his longtime friend Niles Mayor Ralph Infante early this year about Infante’s working for him if he were elected engineer was not bribery.

After hearing the report, the elections board voted 3-0 to forward Wilson’s findings to county Prosecutor Dennis Watkins. The board took no other action on the matter.

Infante, a member of the elections board, abstained from the vote.

Wilson interviewed DeChristofaro, Infante and Steve Oravecz, a former reporter for the Warren Tribune Chronicle, and concluded that DeChristofaro discussed the possibility of Infante’s coming to work for him. But DeChristofaro never made an “offer” of a job to Infante, despite a newspaper article saying he had.

Atty. Subodh Chandra of Cleveland filed a complaint with Watkins’ office and the board of elections on behalf of two Hartford Township residents, who Chandra said wanted the matter to be investigated.

Ohio law prevents a candidate from offering a job to any person who may vote in an upcoming election involving the candidate.

Doing so could be construed as bribery, and the candidate could be required to forfeit his elected office, Wilson said.

DeChristofaro and Infante, friends since kindergarten, said Infante was one of four people DeChristofaro talked to about joining his administration if he were elected engineer.

But no job offer was made, they said.

Oravecz said he doesn’t remember whether the word “offer” used in his story in February was ever used by DeChristofaro or Infante or whether it was his word.

Because of the longtime friendship between DeChristofaro and Infante, there would be no reason for DeChristofaro to bribe Infante, Wilson said.

“There is no reason to consider or attempt to bribe or bribe an individual for help in an election when the individual has already provided you his full support, including his public recommendation to the elected precinct committee members,” Wilson said.

DeChristofaro defeated Randy Smith, the current deputy engineer under Engineer John Latell, in the primary. Latell chose not to seek another term in office. DeChristofaro was unopposed in Tuesday’s election.

James Saker, an assistant county prosecutor, said the prosecutor’s office has not yet received a copy of Wilson’s findings and therefore will not comment on them.