Attorneys denied access to grand jury transcripts in Oakhill case, but indictment amendment OK'd

YOUNGSTOWN

The judge overseeing the Oakhill Renaissance Place criminal conspiracy case denied a request from attorneys for Youngstown Mayor John A. McNally and Mahoning County Auditor Michael V. Sciortino, two of the defendants, to inspect the grand-jury transcript.

In a series of journal entries filed Thursday, Judge Janet R. Burnside of Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, where the case is being heard, also allowed the Ohio Attorney General and Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s offices to amend the indictment to correct errors in the original document.

Attorneys for McNally and Sciortino, both Democrats, wanted the grand-jury transcript to ensure the “indictment is truly a product of grand jury presentment.” At issue was whether the mistakes — including mixing up two unidentified Cleveland-based law firms in three criminal counts — were legitimate.

In a one-sentence journal entry, Judge Burnside granted the motion to amend, and in another one-sentence entry, she denied a motion from Sciortino and McNally to oppose the amended indictment.

In a third journal entry, the judge denied allowing McNally and Sciortino to look at the grand-jury transcript, writing: “No particularized need established.”

Read the complete story in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.