Vigorito pleads innocent to falsifying records

By PETER H. MILLIKEN

milliken@vindy.com

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 that 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.

At the arraignment, the case was assigned to Judge Lou A. D’Apolito of the county common pleas court, with a tentative June 5 trial date.

In Judge D’Apolito’s court, Vigorito waived his right to a speedy trial.

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 contend 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.

Cheugh and Kenneth Egbert Jr. and Elizabeth Ewing, also assistant Ohio attorneys general in the environmental enforcement section in Columbus, are listed as special prosecutors for this case.

Vigorito is represented by Atty. Martin White of Warren, who declined to comment after the arraignment.

The forgery counts are fifth-degree felonies, each carrying up to a year in prison and up to a $2,500 fine upon conviction.

The tampering-with-records counts are third-degree felonies, each carrying up to three years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine upon conviction.

The counts of falsification of training documents are unclassified felonies, each carrying up to four years in prison and up to a $25,000 fine upon conviction.

The MVSD board placed Vigorito on paid administrative leave in a unanimous vote last week.

Vigorito’s Class 3 water treatment plant operator’s license is suspended during the criminal proceedings.

His annual salary of nearly $77,000 will be reduced by $3,840 with the loss of that license.

He cannot accrue vacation or sick time while he’s on leave.

Vigorito has no prior criminal record, White told the judge during the arraignment that lasted just over two minutes.

Cheugh did not object to White’s request that Vigorito be allowed to remain free on his own recognizance.

Vigorito taught water treatment system operator training courses at MVSD and at the Mahoning County Engineer’s Office between 2012 and 2014, according to Linda Amer, an Ohio EPA spokeswoman.

On April 25, 2016, the Ohio EPA proposed to remove course-teaching approval from Vigorito, who appealed his removal, Amer said.

Kate Hanson, a public information officer for the attorney general’s office, declined to comment on whether any other courses Vigorito taught, besides the ones referred to in the indictment, are being investigated.