Vettori indicted in cash theft from deceased client

YOUNGSTOWN — A federal grand jury indicted suspended Mahoning County Judge Diane Vettori-Caraballo for allegedly stealing at least $100,000 from her deceased client.

Vettori, along with her husband, retired Youngstown police officer Ismael Caraballo, 60, was also indicted for allegedly filing a false tax return.

The indictment, handed up Thursday, charges Vettori-Caraballo, 50, with a new count of filing a false tax return, along with her standing counts of mail fraud, structuring cash deposits and making false statements to law enforcement. Vettori-Caraballo accepted, then later rejected, a plea agreement to the prior charges earlier this year.

Investigators believe Vettori-Caraballo, of Canfield, stole between $96,200 and $328,000 in cash from the home of Dolores Falgiani after Falgiani died in March 2016 then deposited the money intermittently and between several accounts, to avoid federal reporting requirements.

Vettori-Caraballo helped Falgiani prepare her will in 2015, which divided the majority of her estate between 16 family members. The remainder, including her two homes and all their contents, was to be split evenly between Angels for Animals in Beaver Township and Animal Charity Humane Society in Boardman, said Diane Less, director of Angels for Animals.

Less said Falgiani’s relatives noted many of the woman’s jewelry pieces could not be found in the home after her death. Less said she “was not shocked” when Vettori-Caraballo ended up in criminal court.

“[Falgiani] had all those interesting articles of clothing and furniture and art and we found no jewelry in that house at all,” Less said. “That money was supposed to go to Angels for Animals. ... It’s pretty sad when somebody wants to help animals and somebody steps in and steals it.”

Vettori-Caraballo told FBI agents that month she hadn’t “received a nickel” from the Falgiani’s estate and instead claimed the money came from her husband’s retirement account.

Vettori-Caraballo was suspended from the seat in January. Voters elected Molly Johnson to fill her vacancy in last week’s general election.

Read more details in Friday’s Vindicator and on Vindy.com.