Predisciplnary hearing held for Niles employee who stole $97,000 from church

Staff report

NILES

Carmen Vivolo, Niles parks director, served as hearing officer Wednesday during a predisciplinary hearing for Michael Marrara, a city employee who pleaded guilty to stealing $97,000 from Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Niles.

Mayor Ralph Infante, Service Director Neil Buccino and Law Director Terry Dull attended the hearing on behalf of the city, presenting evidence to Vivolo regarding Marrara’s purported misconduct.

Vivolo is required to write a report to the mayor by the middle of next week, and Infante then will have 10 working days to decide on what disciplinary action to take, Dull said.

There are grievance procedures in the collective-bargaining agreement that can be used if Marrara objects to any disciplinary action the city would take, Dull said.

Marrara, 59, of Sayers Avenue in Niles remains on the job as a sewer-maintenance employee, Dull said.

Marrara pleaded guilty in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court on Nov. 25 to felony grand theft for stealing from the church between 2007 and 2014 while working as maintenance superviser there.

He could get up to 18 months in prison when he is sentenced in a couple of weeks.

Church officials determined that Marrara had used the church credit card to pay for personal items.

Among them were $2,838 for campground sites in Portage County; $9,974 for tuition at Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio, for relatives of Marrara’s; $9,783 at Sears; $10,702 at a gas station; $15,103 in charges to the Sprint telephone company; and $7,541 for Time Warner cable services, according to the indictment.