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State agents seized computers as evidence against Mahoning County Auditor Michael Sciortino
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Sciortino
BCI seizes 2 laptops, hard drive from county auditor
YOUNGSTOWN
Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation agents seized computers and computer files from Mahoning County Auditor Michael Sciortino on Monday afternoon.
Sciortino has been indicted on 22 criminal counts related to allegations of political corruption in connection with the 2006 purchase of Oakhill Renaissance Place.
With a search warrant, agents with BCI’s cyber-crime unit first went Monday afternoon to the county’s information-technologies department, which Sciortino oversees, on the fourth floor of the county administration building, said Dan Tierney, spokesman for the Ohio attorney general’s office. The AG’s office is the lead investigator on the case accusing Sciortino, Youngstown Mayor John A. McNally and attorney Martin Yavorcik with political corruption.
When the items on the search warrant were not there, BCI agents contacted John Juhasz, Sciortino’s attorney, who then contacted his client.
Sciortino said the items — two laptops and a computer hard drive — were at his Austintown home. Sciortino said he went there, got the items out of his house and turned them over to BCI agents in his driveway.
This made Sciortino, a Democrat, about 15 minutes late for his Monday endorsement interview with The Vindicator.
“I gave them everything [before] and apparently they want other stuff; whatever they need,” he said.
When asked if BCI went to his house, Sciortino initially said, “They don’t have a search warrant for that. We’ve been cooperating with them.”
However, Tierney confirmed that the search warrant, which is under seal, lists the county administration building and Sciortino’s home.
“The computers were not at his office so they went to his home, and they were there,” Tierney said.
Asked again later Monday about BCI agents at his house, Sciortino said they never went inside, and he wasn’t aware the search warrant included his house.
BCI agents did not execute search warrants on Sciortino’s two co-defendants, Tierney said. The two are Youngstown Mayor John A. McNally, also a Democrat and a former county commissioner, and attorney Martin Yavorcik, an independent who unsuccessfully ran for county prosecutor in 2008.
The three, who’ve pleaded not guilty, were indicted May 14 in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court for what prosecutors say was their roles in illegally trying to impede the move of the county’s Department of Job and Family Services to Oakhill from Garland Plaza, owned by the Cafaro Co.
The 83 counts facing the three include engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, conspiracy, perjury, bribery, money laundering and tampering with records.
During his endorsement meeting, Sciortino said, “I strongly believe that I didn’t do anything wrong and I intend to, if it goes to trial, try and prove that. A large part of this, I believe, is political. I think the timing is suspect.”
Not only is Sciortino facing a re-election challenge from Republican Ralph Meacham, but the county auditor said Attorney General Mike DeWine, a Republican, is “absolutely” trying to garner support for his re-election bid against Democrat David Pepper with this indictment.