Trump’s Valley pal

Donald Trump was in his glory. He had snubbed a cable news network, thumbed his nose at individuals he treats as lesser beings, and he was standing before a crowd of rabid supporters who believe they have a lot in common with the billionaire businessman from New York City.

It was the night of Jan. 28 at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and Trump had the political world buzzing – as he is wont to do.

The leader in the race for the Republican nomination for president had refused to participate in a live debate on Fox News Network because journalist Megyn Kelly, whom he detests, was on the panel of interrogators. Fox refused to give in to his demands that Kelly be replaced, so the take-no-prisoners, first-time candidate moved his circus act to Drake University.

There, he held an event to raise money for veterans through his private charity, the Donald J. Trump Foundation.

With CNN and other networks covering this spectacle, Trump went off script and began reciting the list of his wealthy friends who had pledged money for the charity.

And that’s when he made an announcement heard round the Mahoning Valley: “J.J. Cafaro of Palm Beach and Cleveland, $50,000.” He described Cafaro as a “fantastic man” who had been a great success in business in Cleveland.

J.J. Cafaro of Cleveland? Could it be there are two shopping center developers with the same name, one living in Liberty Township and the other in Cleveland.

Hardly.

Consider the story that appeared in the Huffington Post on Jan 29 under the headline, “Trump Taps Golf Buddies, Real Estate Scions For Gifts To His Charity.” The subhead read as follows: “Donald Trump collected almost $5 million Thursday from a motley crew of casino owners, business partners and at least one felon.”

You read that right “ … at least one felon.”

Who was that? Here’s what the Huffington Post reported:

“Mall developer J.J. Cafaro, who socializes with Trump in Palm Beach, gave Trump’s foundation $50,000, prompting Trump to describe Cafaro as ‘a fantastic man.’” Then the story took a dive into the abyss that is political corruption in the Mahoning Valley.

Here’s how the reporter delivered the crippling blow to J.J.’s family jewels:

“What Trump didn’t mention is that Cafaro has pleaded guilty two different times in federal court to charges related to illegal campaign donations. In 2002, Cafaro pleaded guilty to attempting to bribe then-Rep. Jim Traficant (D-Ohio), part of a deal Cafaro made to avoid jail time. Six years later, he again pleaded guilty to a campaign-related offense – this time, failing to disclose a $10,000 loan he’d made to his daughter’s failed bid for a seat in Congress.”

J.J. Cafaro’s criminal record was the only one mentioned by the Huffington Post, which provided an in-depth look at some of the donors to the charity. Among them, Carl Icahn, the billionaire investor who rescued the Trump Taj Mahal from bankruptcy in 2014, who gave $500,000; Las Vegas developer Phil Ruffin, who pledged $1 million. Ruffin is a partner with Trump in the Trump Hotel Las Vegas; Richard LeFrak, a billionaire real estate developer, who donated $500,000. LeFrak, according to the Huffington Post, is a friend and golf buddy of Trump’s and is the only person whose dogs (two poodles) are allowed on the grounds of Trump’s Mar-A-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla.

So, would Trump have known about Cafaro’s two criminal convictions? Undoubtedly. There are no secrets among the rich and famous. And they obviously have their own standards by which they judge each other.

Indeed, J.J. and his wife, Janet, have made a name for themselves in Palm Beach, where they have a home.

On Feb. 6, the 59th International Red Cross Ball took place at The Mar-a-Lago Club and received extensive coverage in the Jupiter Courier Newsweekly. Included in the pre-ball story was this reference to the Cafaros:

“The evening before the main event, Janet and J.J. Cafaro will host an elegant dinner reception in honor of the ambassadors attending the ball. Countries confirmed to date to attend are Afghanistan, Brazil, Colombia, Denmark, Greece and Japan, along with former U.S. Ambassadors to China, Denmark and Finland.”

So, with all the attention, J.J., the retired executive vice president of the Cafaro Co., has been getting because of his relationship with Trump, his role in the Oakhill Renaissance Place criminal conspiracy will attract national media attention. Being the social friend of the Republican presidential frontrunner does have its advantages – and disadvantages.

On Feb. 29, three participants in the conspiracy will go on trial in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court on more than 50 criminal charges. But, the case isn’t just about Youngstown Mayor John McNally, former Mahoning County Auditor Michael Sciortino and Youngstown Atty. Martin Yavorcik. They were the puppets whose strings were being pulled by the puppet master, Anthony M. Cafaro Sr., the retired president of the Cafaro Co. and J.J.’s older brother.

The trial will not only reveal how the conspiracy to stop county government from buying Oakhill Renaissance Place was planned and carried out, but the role played by the Cafaro brothers and their sister, Flora.

Anthony Cafaro has been identified in court documents as the mastermind. He sought to block the purchase of the former Southside Medical Center because Commissioner Anthony Traficanti and then-commissioner David Ludt had publicly stated that they were going to relocate the county’s Job and Family Services agency from the Cafaro Co.-owned Garland Plaza to Oakhill Renaissance. McNally, who also was a commissioner, fought the purchase at the behest of Cafaro.

The McNally-Sciortino-Yavorcik trial should be the first domino to fall. With the number of participants in the conspiracy, which isn’t just confined to the purchase of the hospital complex, there should be many more dominoes falling.