Mom pleads guilty, son awaits trial on forgery, theft counts

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Vanessa Pellin pleaded guilty to a single theft count, but her son, Richard M. Pellin Jr., awaits trial on nine counts of forgery and 10 counts of theft.

The Pellins are former owners and operators of Pellin Ambulance Service.

Vanessa Pellin, 56, of Akron-Canfield Road, Ellsworth, entered her plea Tuesday before Judge James C. Evans of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, who will sentence her at 10 a.m. Aug. 11.

Mark Hockensmith, an assistant county prosecutor, said he is recommending probation for Vanessa Pellin because she has no prior criminal record and “we believe that her son is a bigger culprit in this.”

Richard Pellin, 38, of Stoltz Road, Diamond, is scheduled for a nonjury trial before Judge Evans at 9 a.m. July 26.

The prosecutor’s office began probing the Pellins’ business dealings at the request of Judge R. Scott Krichbaum, who had been presiding over a civil case in which a bank asked the court to place the assets of Pellin Emergency Services and another company into receivership.

In December 2007, Judge Krichbaum learned that funds may have been diverted from the businesses.

Prosecutors said authorities believe both Pellins diverted money due the businesses to a Pennsylvania bank account, where they were the signators, with the total diversion being about $90,000.

Prosecutors also said Richard Pellin drew checks in the name of his brother and deposited them into his own account without his brother’s knowledge.