Ben Lupo sued again in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court

YOUNGSTOWN — Ben Lupo is a defendant in two lawsuits filed on the same day in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

Dollar Bank of Cleveland sued Ben Lupo and his wife, Holly, for $96,619, plus interest, on a personal loan note Feb. 22.

Also on that day, Dollar Leasing Corp., of the same Cleveland address, sued Lupo, 62, of Beard Road, Poland, and his company, D&L Energy Inc., for a combined total of $117,435 on three equipment leases, signed between 2009 and 2011, and demanded return of the equipment, which includes frack tanks.

Both companies demanded full and immediate payment soon after federal and state authorities began investigating allegations that Lupo ordered an intentional discharge of brine and oil-based drilling waste into a storm sewer flowing into a Mahoning River tributary Jan. 31 from D&L’s office at 2761 Salt Springs Road in Youngstown.

Lupo has pleaded innocent to a federal criminal charge of violating the Clean Water Act stemming from that spill. Lupo will appear again before U.S. Magistrate George J. Limbert in Youngstown on that charge at 9:30 a.m. March 15.

For the complete story, read Saturday's Vindicator and Vindy.com