Could Ms. Flora Cafaro be ‘the one’?

There was an ah-ha moment in federal court last week when Judge Sara Lioi revealed the name of the person who gave former Mahoning County Court Judge Maureen Cronin an $18,000 “loan.”

But after hours of contemplation, this question arises: Is Flora Cafaro the “senior executive of a business” referred to in a bill of information filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Cleveland?

To be sure, Cafaro handed over the no-interest, no-collateral, no-repayment-schedule cash “loan” in July 2006 to Cronin when she was still on the bench. But was the lender acting on her own, or was she a conduit?

The Cafaro Co., of which Flora and her two brothers, Anthony Sr. and John J., are the principals, had cases pending before Cronin, which is why Cronin was charged by the federal government with two felony counts of honest services mail fraud. In a nutshell, the former judge failed to report the $18,000 she received.

Cronin pleaded guilty and last week was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison, the maximum penalty under the federal sentencing guidelines.

But just as surprising as Judge Lioi’s throwing the book at Cronin was her revelation in court that Flora Cafaro was the source of the “loan.” And while that move surprised Atty. J. Gerald Ingram, it served to simply muddy the waters with regard to the identity of the “senior executive” of a local business.

Why?

‘Part-time employee’

Because to hear Flora Cafaro’s lawyer tell it, his client is a “part-time employee with limited administrative duties” in the Cafaro Co. Atty. Ralph E. Cascarilla said his client has an ownership position in the Cafaro Co., one of the leading shopping center developers in the nation.

Until recently, Anthony Cafaro Sr. was the president of the company and John J., known as J.J., was the executive vice president. Now, Anthony’s two sons, Anthony Jr. and William, are running the company, headquartered in Youngstown.

To further raise doubts about Flora Cafaro being the “senior executive” mentioned in the federal documents is a comment from Joe Bell, the Cafaro Co.’s director of corporate communications: “She’s had very, very limited duties here.”

There also is the public revelation by federal prosecutors that the “senior executive of a business” who loaned money to Cronin is the same individual who gave former Trumbull County Commissioner James Tsagaris a $36,551 “loan” in 2004. Tsagaris, who pleaded guilty to two counts of honest-services mail fraud for not reporting the $36,551 “loan,” is now serving a nine-month prison sentence. After his prison stint, he will serve an additional six months of electronically monitored house arrest, pay a $4,000 fine and three years’ probation.

Tsagaris admitted to receiving the money from the “senior executive” who has not been identified by prosecutors.

In return for the money, Tsagaris as commissioner cast votes that were favorable to the business executive.

Numerous stories in The Vindicator pertaining to the ex-commissioner’s using his public position for personal gain make reference to the unnamed “businessman.”

Tsagaris failed to report the “loan” — there was no payment schedule or collateral offered.

Further doubts

A couple of news stories about Tsagaris’ criminal act add to the mystery about the “senior executive” and further raise doubts about Flora Cafaro being the individual:

“ … Tsagaris accepted a loan of $36,551 from an unidentified local businessman in late 2004 while he was a commissioner without reporting it on state financial disclosure statements in 2005 or 2006.

“Then he acted on behalf of that businessman, voting in his capacity as a commissioner on matters that would personally benefit that businessman, Judge Lioi said.”

Yes, Judge Lioi has had the pleasure of dealing with two tainted officeholders from the Mahoning Valley.

So, if it isn’t Flora Cafaro, who is it?

Now that the Tsagaris and Cronin cases have been adjudicated, federal prosecutors have an obligation to publicly identify the “senior executive of a business.” Unless, of course, the individual gave “loans” or other things of value to other officeholders in the Valley who could be prosecuted next.