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Woman pleads in extortion case
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
A woman charged with trying to extort money from Mahoning County’s former sanitary engineer was given two years’ probation as part of a plea agreement.
Gloria Prottengeier, 38, of North Lincoln Avenue in Salem, pleaded guilty Thursday before Judge Maureen A. Sweeney of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to charges of obstructing justice and possession of drugs.
She originally had been charged with extortion, and possession of heroin and possession of drugs.
Authorities said Prottengeier told them in April 2012 that former sanitary engineer J. Robert Lyden had bought heroin for her and met her in a county vehicle on county time.
Lyden denied those allegations, but Canfield police detectives said Lyden admitted in interviews that he paid Prottengeier for sex, talked to her on his county cellphone, met her in his county car and met with her on county time.
Prottengeier was charged because she admitted trying to extort money from Lyden, who has never been charged with a crime.
Nicholas Modarelli, assistant county prosecutor, said after court that Prottengeier was given the chance to plead to the obstruction-of-justice charge because she cooperated with the investigators.
Also, as part of the plea agreement, the heroin-possession charge was dropped.
The county forced Lyden to resign in August 2012 after an investigation by the county human resources director alleged that Lyden favored a certain contractor, which came out about the same time the Prottengeier case surfaced. Lyden has also denied any wrongdoing there.
Judge Sweeney asked Prottengeier if she had a drug problem. Prottengeier said she did, but she has not been on drugs for a while.
“I’ve been clean for 14 months,” Prottengeier said.
Prottengeier also apologized for her actions.
“I apologize for all of this, and I will not be back in your courtroom,” Prottengeier said.