Liberty woman faces jail time for attempted telecommunications fraud

WARREN — A Liberty woman has pleaded no contest to attempted telecommunications fraud, a misdemeanor, and could get up to six months in jail.

Gina M. Pascale, 53, of Logan Gate, entered the plea Monday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court before Judge Peter Kontos.

A county grand jury secretly indicted Pascale and her husband, Tony L. Pascale, 57, also of the Logan Gate address, on three felony counts — insurance fraud, telecommunications fraud, and theft — in late 2007.

If convicted of those charges, Mrs. Pascale could have faced up to three years in prison. She will be sentenced in four to six weeks, after the Trumbull County Adult Probation Department conducts a pre-sentence investigation.

Tony Pascale’s next hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. April 8 before Judge W. Wyatt McKay.

Deena DeVico, an assistant county prosecutor, has refused to discuss the basis for the charges. She said Monday she still cannot discuss the facts of the case because Tony Pascale’s case is pending.

A spokesman for the Ohio Department of Insurance said in 2007 that the agency was aware of the case but also couldn’t discuss it.