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Federal charge filed in bomb scare
YOUNGSTOWN
A Burghill man now jailed under $2 million bond on state charges in the Oct. 16 bomb scare at the Canfield office of Atty. David Betras has been federally charged with mailing three threatening letters to Betras between Sept. 4 and Oct. 20.
The charge of extortion with threat of death via the U.S. mail, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison upon conviction, was lodged Tuesday in federal court in Youngstown against Charles J. Reighard, 67, of state Route 7, a former client of Betras.
The FBI affidavit accompanying the complaint says the letters demanded money in exchange for not killing Betras, who is Mahoning County Democratic Party chairman, or his family, with one of the letters demanding $4 million from Betras.
An employee of Betras, Kopp & Harshman LLC arrived to find a second-floor window of the law office broken and a pipe bomb beneath it, which bomb squad technicians determined was complete except for the explosive powder.
Judge Scott Hunter of Canfield Court set the $2 million bond Friday at Reighard’s initial appearance on the state charges of extortion, retaliation, inducing panic and vandalism.
Paul J. Gains, Mahoning County prosecutor, said Wednesday that he plans to dismiss the state charges soon because he said he doesn’t think this case warrants a dual prosecution.
A federal detention hearing is set for 3:30 p.m. Monday before U.S. Magistrate George J. Limbert in Youngstown, who declared Reighard indigent. Reighard’s lawyer for the federal court proceedings is listed as Timothy C. Ivey, a Cleveland-based federal public defender.
Justin Seabury Gould is listed as the Cleveland-based assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting the case.
Betras represented Reighard, who was charged in 1999 with vandalism over allegations he caused new cars to catch fire by deliberately driving a car into them at the General Motors plant in Lordstown, where he was employed.
In that case, Betras negotiated a deal, in which Reighard pleaded guilty to telecommunications harassment and was put on five years’ probation.
Reighard claimed Betras, the prosecutor and the judge conspired to get him fired from GM and “ruin his life,” according to the affidavit filed by FBI Agent Matthew M. Hartmann.
This year, Betras opened a four-page typed letter on Sept. 4 at his office, which was signed by “John” and accused him of mishandling Reighard’s 1999 case. The letter said “John” and his friends would put Betras “in a wheelchair for the rest of his life” if Betras didn’t clear Reighard’s name within 30 days, the affidavit alleges.
The second letter, which Betras received Sept. 24, demanded $4 million, the affidavit said.
An Oct. 20 letter to the law firm, which appeared similar to the other two letters, purported to be from the “New Democrats for a better Democratic Party” and said: “The next boom will be three inches by 12 inches long and it will go off when your family is threr (sic),” the affidavit reported.
In an Oct. 23 recorded phone call, Betras told Reighard pipe bombs were being thrown at him and asked what he needed to do, and Reighard replied “Fix it,” according to the affidavit.
On that day, Mahoning County sheriff’s deputies executed a search warrant at Reighard’s home and arrested Reighard.
According to the affidavit, deputies seized the following items from Reighard’s home during that raid:
A receipt from a Hubbard fireworks store dated Sept. 3, with a form signed by Reighard, for two boxes of 3-mm safety fuse, 10 feet in length, and $110 worth of other fireworks.
An unopened package of 3-mm safety fuse, 10 feet in length.
The top portion of a second package of 3-mm safety fuse, from which the fuse and the remaining package were missing.
A typed draft of a letter in the basement trash can with Betras’ and Reighard’s names on it.
Several pieces of galvanized metal pipe of various lengths and diameters.
The FBI agent said Betras told him in a Monday interview that he was “genuinely afraid and scared for his family’s safety” and believes “Reighard has the knowledge and means to carry out his threats.”
Betras could not be reached late Wednesday to comment on the federal charge against Reighard.