What will happen to Cafaros?

Will the past be prologue for two members of the Cafaro family, Anthony M. Sr. and his sister, Flora, who were indicted last week for their participation in a government corruption scheme? The past, of course, is defined by the ability of the third Cafaro sibling, John J., to stay out of prison after being convicted of involvement in two different government corruption incidents.

J.J. Cafaro, the retired executive vice president of the Youngstown-based Cafaro Co., one of the leading shopping center developers in the nation, has dodged prison twice. The first time in 2002, when he admitted that he bribed then Congressman James A. Traficant Jr.; the second, this past June when he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of violating federal elections laws.

Indeed, during his testimony in the Traficant trial — the expelled congressman was found guilty in federal court of 10 criminal charges, including racketeering, bribery and tax evasion — Cafaro admitted that he had committed perjury during the federal trial of former Mahoning County Sheriff Phil Chance.

Pocket change

The sentences J.J. Cafaro received — probation, fines (pocket change to him) and community service — for the egregious crimes he committed prompts this question: Will his brother, the retired chief executive officer of the Cafaro Co., and his sister, a company executive, get the same kid-glove treatment if they are convicted?

The indictment filed last week outlines their roles in a conspiracy to block Mahoning County’s purchase of Oakhill Renaissance Place and to stop the relocation of the Job and Family Services agency from the Cafaro Co.-owned Garland Plaza to Oakhill Renaissance.

Five other individuals were indicted: county Commissioner John A. McNally IV, county Auditor Michael Sciortino, former county Treasurer John Reardon and former JFS Director John Zachariah.

Without a doubt, Anthony and Flora Cafaro will have the best lawyers money can buy. J.J. certainly did — and it paid off for him.

But, the former Cafaro Co. CEO might have a difficult time convincing a judge or a jury that he was simply doing his due diligence as a businessman when he had 59 telephone conversations and meetings with McNally, et al between January and June 2006.

Flora Cafaro’s involvement is not yet clear, but the indictment of Atty. Martin Yavorcik may provide a clue. Yavorcik challenged county Prosecutor Paul Gains in 2008 and received a lot of money in campaign contributions from the Cafaro siblings.

Ms. Cafaro was recently identified in two court cases as having given unsecured “loans” to James Tsagaris when he was a Trumbull County commissioner and Maureen Cronin, when she was a Mahoning County Common Pleas Court judge. Both are now serving time in prison.

If the past is prologue, the Cafaros have reason to be optimistic. After all, J.J. Cafaro is out living the good life.

On the other hand, Commissioner McNally, Auditor Sciortino and former Treasurer Reardon should worry. They need only look at what happened to Traficant, Cronin and Tsagaris to realize that dealing with the Cafaros can be hazardous to a politician’s health.

Bribes

Traficant was sentenced to eight years in prison after being convicted of the criminal charges, and served a little over seven. He returned home last summer — and has deluded himself into believing that the voters in the Mahoning Valley would support him if he ran for Congress again.

Cronin is serving a 27-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to two federal felony counts of honest services mail fraud. She admitted that she took an $18,000, no-interest cash loan from Flora. The Cafaro Co. had numerous civil lawsuits before her while she was a judge.

Tsagaris, the former county commissioner, is now serving a nine-month prison sentence for violating the terms of his 12-month house arrest probation; he was convicted of receiving a $36,551 no-interest cash “loan” from Flora. Tsagaris cast votes favorable to the company executive.

McNally, et al should be afraid, be very afraid — of what the Cafaro curse (the curse was discussed in a previous column) could do to them.

As for Anthony, J.J. and Flora, a Vindicator editor made this observation: “It’s the legal equivalent of a cat’s nine lives, Even with everything, the Cafaros have only used up four of their lives.” Then again, he thinks Elvis is coming back.