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Federal drug-trafficking trial might be delayed because of purported threat to attorney
By Ed Runyan
CLEVELAND
The federal drug-trafficking trial of Ricardo B. McKinney, 29, of Warren may have to be delayed because of allegations by one of his attorneys that McKinney threatened his life.
Attys. David J. Betras and Frank L. Cassese, both of the Betras, Kopp & Harshman law firm of Canfield, filed a motion Monday, asking that they be removed from the case.
The trial is scheduled to begin Wednesday in the courtroom of Judge Christopher A. Boyko. A hearing on removing the attorneys is set for 3:30 p.m. today.
The motion says McKinney “refuses to cooperate with either attorney and believes that his attorneys have tampered with numerous pieces of evidence, specifically, but not limited to, DVD recordings in which the United States of America alleges that ... McKinney is selling heroin to a confidential informant.”
McKinney also told Betras that McKinney “practices West Coast politics, while Betras practices East Coast politics,” that “Betras leans on other politicians to get things done, while on the West Coast ... McKinney digs a hole and will stick Betras in it once he gets out of jail.”
Betras is Mahoning County Democratic Party chairman.
The motion directs Judge Boyko to consider another case involving a Betras client, Charles J. Reighard, 68, of Burghill, who threatened the life of Betras and others in 2014.
Reighard was convicted of falsely implying in October 2014 that an explosive would damage or destroy Betras’ office. On that day, an employee of Betras, Kopp & Harshman, 6630 Seville Drive in Canfield, arrived to find a second-floor window of the law office broken and a device beneath it, which bomb-squad technicians determined was a complete pipe bomb, except for the explosive powder.
The motion described that as a case where “a disgruntled former client of Atty. David J. Betras was prosecuted for threats and actions taken against Atty. Betras. As such, [Betras] and his family experienced tremendous stress as a result of this conduct.” Reighard was sentenced to 46 months in prison in June for mailing extortion letters to Betras demanding up to $4 million and threatening the law office with an explosive.
Reighard also was ordered to pay the $3,789 cost of the emergency response that took place when the fake bomb was discovered.
McKinney, who faces charges of heroin distribution and being a felon in possession of a firearm, has a long Trumbull County arrest history.
Warren police said they found 3.6 pounds of heroin at a residence in the 1500 block of North Road where McKinney stayed when they executed a search warrant there Feb. 25. The drugs had a street value of $250,000.
If convicted, McKinney could get a prison term and also could be ordered to forfeit $50,000, an estimated amount McKinney is thought to have spent to obtain the drugs police confiscated. Police also seized about $6,000 in cash, two firearms and two digital scales, they said.