Go forth & break the law

The headline is a reflection of Judge Janet Burnside’s attitude when it comes to government corruption in the Mahoning Valley.

But you can’t really blame the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court jurist for looking upon this region as the political armpit of the state of Ohio. After all, the Valley has a long history of corrupt officeholders and public officials, free-wheeling members of the Mafia, and bribe-happy residents – a history that has given us national prominence.

What other area of the country can boast of having a congressman, county prosecutor, county sheriff, judges, other elected officials and organized crime bosses being hauled off to prison in chains? Not even Chicago or New York.

So when a judge sitting in Cleveland had to choose between sending three Valley residents found guilty of public-corruption charges to jail or letting them walk free, she perhaps asked herself this question: What difference would it make to that region’s culture of corruption if I placed them behind bars?

The answer Judge Burnside came up with – as evidenced by her sentencing of Youngstown Mayor John A. McNally, former Mahoning County Auditor Michael Sciortino and Youngstown Atty. Martin Yavorcik – is that it would make no difference.

And so, in the ongoing saga of the Oakhill Renaissance Place criminal conspiracy, McNally, Sciortino and Yavorcik all received probation from Judge Burnside.

Corrupt lawyers

Never mind that each of them is as crooked as a dog’s hind leg and that they each were convicted of criminal acts. And never mind that each of them is a lawyer – an officer of the court. From the judge’s vantage point, why punish them by taking away their freedom when government corruption doesn’t seem to be a big deal in the Mahoning Valley?

Thus on Friday, Judge Burnside continued wielding her kid glove when she sentenced Yavorcik, who was found guilty by a jury of eight felonies stemming from his participation the Oakhill-related criminal enterprise, to five years of community control (probation). She also sentenced him to 200 hours of community service, alcohol and substance abuse treatment and a whopping fine of $1,846.

If Yavorcik violates probation, he will be jailed for seven years.

But who’s going to snitch on a man with powerful, rich friends, including the mastermind of the Oakhill criminal enterprise, Anthony M. Cafaro Sr.?

Cafaro, the retired president of the Cafaro Co., has not been charged, but he cast a huge shadow over the court proceedings involving McNally, Sciortino and Yavorcik.

The mayor of Youngstown and the former auditor of Mahoning County both pleaded guilty to criminal charges arising from their involvement in the Oakhill Renaissance conspiracy.

They should have gone to jail, but Judge Burnside sentenced McNally to a year’s probation and required him to perform 20 hours of community service. He also had to pay a $3,500 fine and must report to his probation officer every six months.

Sciortino was sentenced to a year’s probation, must report to a probation officer once every six months and cannot hold public office for seven years.

McNally and Sciortino are also required to cooperate in the ongoing Oakhill Renaissance Place investigation.

Cafaro Sr. cooked up a scheme to block county government from buying Oakhill Renaissance Place, the former South Side Medical Center. Two commissioners in favor of the transaction, Anthony Traficanti and David Ludt, had made it clear they intended to relocate the county’s Job and Family Services agency from the Cafaro Co.-owned Garland Plaza on Youngstown’s East Side to Oakhill Renaissance.

The third commissioner at the time, McNally, became a Cafaro flunky, as did Sciortino, who was county auditor at the time.

Cafaro said “Jump” and they responded, “How high, my lord?”

Their guilty pleas left little doubt that the Cafaro-inspired criminal enterprise was designed to undermine the legal conduct of government business.

Yavorcik was not involved in blocking the purchase of Oakhill, but he did take money from Cafaro Sr. and his brother and sister to run against Mahoning County Prosecutor Paul Gains, who was blamed for the state investigating the Oakhill Renaissance scandal.

Unlike McNally and Sciortino, who pleaded guilty and were given a kiss on the cheek by Judge Burnside, Yavorcik went to trial before a jury, defended himself, and was found guilty of eight felony offenses. Even so, he, too, received a kiss on the cheek from the judge.

The scenario laid out by this writer as to Judge Burnside’s putting all three scumbags on probation is just one take on the travesty of justice.

There’s another explanation that is being whispered among friends, may show up on Vindy.com anonymously and could generate some chatter in the cloakrooms of the halls of justice in the Valley.

It has to do with Cafaro Sr.’s willingness to do whatever is necessary to protect his interest and use his influence on behalf of his friends and allies.

Until the retired president of the Cafaro Co. is hauled into court and forced to answer questions about his sins of commission with regard to government corruption, this question will continue to be asked: How large is Mr. Big’s web of deceit?