Thursday, March 23, 2017
YOUNGSTOWN
A 41-year-old Niles man was indicted on six felonies today for allegedly falsifying the training certificates of 26 Youngstown Water Department employees.
Anthony Vigorito, the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District’s plant operations manager, was indicted by a Mahoning County grand jury on two counts each of forgery, criminal noncompliance with the state’s safe drinking water law, and tampering with records.
Vigorito offered continuing education courses for water operators. He is accused of falsifying the training certificates of Youngstown employees, primarily in 2013 and 2014, by claiming they had taken the courses, when, in fact, they never took or completed the classes as required, according to the state attorney general’s office.
Last month, 25 employees of the Youngstown Water Department and a former city department worker pleaded guilty to falsifying their contact hours in the Franklin County Municipal Court. They were ordered to pay a combination of restitution, fines, and community service. Certified water operators’ licenses also were suspended for a year.
The case was referred to the AG’s Environmental Enforcement Section by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
An attorney with that section was appointed as a special prosecutor by the Mahoning County prosecutor to handle the case against Vigorito.
For the complete story, read Friday’s Vindicator.