Yavorcik slashes witness list in his Oakhill corruption trial

CLEVELAND

Martin Yavorcik, the lone remaining defendant not to plead guilty in the Oakhill Renaissance Place criminal-corruption case, has scaled back the number of witnesses he plans to call from 31 to 14.

Yavorcik’s list includes ex-Mahoning County Treasurers John Reardon and Lisa Antonini, two of his close friends who both have been found guilty of criminal charges and are cooperating with law enforcement.

Also on the list are Mahoning County Prosecutor Paul J. Gains and two of his top assistants – Linette Stratford and Nicholas Modarelli – as well as Harry Strabala, a political consultant who secretly taped Yavorcik for the FBI.

Among those dropped from Yavorcik’s original list, filed Nov. 30, 2015, are: Anthony Cafaro Sr., J.J. Cafaro and Flora Cafaro, as well as several current and former Mahoning County Board of Elections officials, and two Vindicator writers.

Court documents filed by prosecutors contend Anthony Cafaro Sr. is the head of the criminal enterprise to stop the county from moving an agency from Garland Plaza, owned by a subsidiary of his family-owned Cafaro Co., to Oakhill Renaissance Place, the former Forum Health Southside Medical Center. Cafaro hasn’t been charged.

Read more about the case in Wednesday's Vindicator or Vindy.com.