Lawyers want 3 separate trials

By HAROLD GWIN

gwin@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Defense attorneys in the case against three men accused of falsification, theft and other charges in the alleged falsification of records at Youngstown State University want their clients tried separately.

Ivan Maldonado, 42, of Boardman, Ron Granger, 45, of Girard, and Anthony J. Maldonado, 25, of Boardman, charged in a secret grand-jury indictment, all remain free on bond pending trial.

In an in-chamber, pretrial hearing on the case Monday before Mahoning County Common Pleas Judge James C. Evans, Atty. Neal Atway, representing Granger, and Atty. Lou DeFabio, representing Anthony Maldonado, indicated they will file motions to separate the single case into three, according to a judgment entry signed by Judge Evans.

The entry also noted that the case will be reset, and pretrial hearings will be within approximately 30 days.

In the meantime, the prosecution will provide written statements and/or interview statements to the defense.

Ivan Maldonado, a former university payroll assistant, was fired by the university last July amid accusations of unsatisfactory performance in his job and allegations that he threatened another university employee.

He is charged with 10 counts of theft, two counts each of falsification and theft in office and one count each of tampering with records and grand theft.

Anthony Maldonado, Ivan’s nephew, is charged with two counts of falsification and one count each of tampering with records and grand theft. It is alleged that he and Ivan improperly arranged for Anthony to attend YSU tuition-free between 2003 and 2009 as a dependent of Ivan Maldonado, who was a university employee at the time.

Granger is charged with falsification, tampering with records, theft and theft in office.

Granger, an administrative assistant in the YSU payroll department, and Ivan Maldonado are accused of manipulating payroll records in 2009 to reduce the amount of a wage garnishment against Granger from Girard Municipal Court. Granger is on paid administrative leave from the university.