Kroner: Charges cause ‘stigma’ for area


By Jordan Cohen

news@vindy.com

NILES

Robert Kroner, retired FBI special agent who investigated some of the Mahoning Valley’s most notorious corruption cases for more than 25 years, called criminal indictments against Youngstown’s mayor, the Mahoning County auditor and a local attorney “a stigma” for the community.

Kroner, 67, was asked by a reporter for his reaction to the indictments and ongoing investigation of Mayor John A. McNally, Auditor Michael Sciortino and Atty. Martin Yavorcik, who have been accused of corrupt activities in connection with the purchase of Oakhill Renaissance Place in 2006.

“Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and I’m not convicting these people, but there is a stigma that comes with these charges,” Kroner said.

The retired agent, now the national director of security for B.J. Alan Co., spoke at the annual meeting of the Trumbull County Homicide Investigation and Prosecution Unit on Wednesday evening at Cafe 422.

Kroner, FBI special agent in the Mahoning Valley from 1976 to 2002, has a firsthand perspective of the area’s sometimes-sordid history. In the 1980s, his investigation led to the conviction of organized-crime figure Orland Carrabia, who was convicted of trying to bribe a deputy sheriff.

“He wanted to get back his gambling machines, but the deputy he tried to bribe reported him to Sheriff [Richard] Jakmas,” Kroner said. “It turned out to be one of the easier cases to investigate.”

The retired agent said organized crime and corruption sometimes seemed endemic to the Mahoning Valley.

“Youngstown had a well-deserved reputation for a lot of years,” Kroner said.

Attorney General Mike DeWine, keynote speaker for the evening, said corruption cases are all too common in the state.

“We deal with dozens of public corruption cases, some involving sheriffs and county commissioners,” DeWine said.

“It’s one of the more unpleasant things we have to do.”

As for the Oakhill probe, DeWine expressed confidence that state and local investigators will prove their case against the three.

“We would not try a case unless we thought there is substantial evidence,” DeWine said. “We wouldn’t have gone this far if the evidence wasn’t there.”