BREAKING NEWS | McNally, Sciortino, Yavorcik arraigned in Cleveland
CLEVELAND — Youngstown Mayor John A. McNally, Mahoning County Auditor Michael Sciortino and attorney Martin Yavorcik pleaded not guilty today to 83 political corruption charges.
The three were arraigned today by Judge Pamela A. Barker in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. She set bond for the three at $15,000 each. They are not allowed to leave the state without court permission.
The case was assigned to Judge Janet Burnside. The first pretrial hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. June 5.
The three are being processed by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department.
That includes taking mug shots, fingerprints, checking their identification and checking to see if any have outstanding warrants.
A May 14 indictment accuses the three of being among 23 people involved in a criminal enterprise that traded money and other financial benefits for political favors, lying under oath to protect business interests, and an agreement to fix legal cases.
The other 20 haven’t been indicted, but Attorney General Mike DeWine said May 14: “We are not done.”
The indictment says that occurred from January 2005 to January 2014, though most of it stopped in July 2009.
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office is prosecuting the case — assisted by the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office — with Daniel Kasaris, senior assistant attorney general as the head prosecutor.
The felony charges by McNally in the indictment are one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, two counts of conspiracy, two counts of bribery, six counts of tampering with records, nine counts of perjury, one count of money laundering, two of telecommunications fraud, two counts of theft in office and nine misdemeanors.
Sciortino faces 16 felony counts — one of engaging in pattern of corrupt activity, two of conspiracy, two bribery, four tampering with records, six perjury, one money laundering; and six misdemeanors.
Yavorcik’s counts are all felonies: one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, two conspiracy, three bribery, 17 tampering with records and four money laundering.
The three say they are not guilty of the charges.
For the complete story, read Friday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com