Vigorito pleads innocent in forgery/falsification case involving Youngstown city workers

YOUNGSTOWN

Anthony P. Vigorito, on paid administrative leave as Mahoning Valley Sanitary District plant operations manager, pleaded innocent to charges alleging falsification of training records involving Youngstown Water Department workers.

Tuesday’s arraignment was before Judge R. Scott Krichbaum of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

Judge Krichbaum allowed Vigorito to remain free on his own recognizance, but warned him failure to appear at future court proceedings could result in his spending up to 18 months in prison.

A Mahoning County grand jury indicted Vigorito, 41, of Isaac Avenue, Niles, on March 23 on two counts each of forgery, tampering with records and falsification of training documents.

Vigorito is charged with falsifying training records of 25 Youngstown Water Department employees and a former city water department worker, who were enrolled in two-day continuing-education courses he taught in Youngstown for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency in May 2013 and September 2014.

Investigators from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office say the workers did not complete the courses.

Last month, the 25 water department employees and the former employee pleaded guilty to falsifying their training hours and agreed to testify against Vigorito.

The six-count indictment against Vigorito was signed by Robert W. Cheugh II, an assistant Ohio attorney general, who attended the arraignment but declined to comment afterward.

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