(YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio)—Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, Ohio Auditor of State Dave Yost, and Mahoning County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Gains today announced that a Mahoning County grand jury has indicted the former mayor and finance director of Youngstown on public corruption charges. The indictment is part of an ongoing public corruption probe of corrupt activity which includes a Poland, Ohio, businessman who was previously indicted on corruption charges last year.
Charles Sammarone, 75, of Youngstown, was indicted on the following charges:
- One count of Engaging in a Pattern of Corrupt Activity, a felony of the first degree
- Nine counts of Bribery, felonies of the third degree
- Three counts of Tampering with Records, felonies of the third degree
- One count of Falsification, a misdemeanor of the first degree
David Bozanich, 61, of Youngstown, was indicted on the following charges:
- One count of Engaging in a Pattern of Corrupt Activity, a felony of the first degree
- Two counts of Aggravated Theft, felonies of the first degree
- 5 counts of Bribery, felonies of the third degree
- One count of Obstructing Justice, a felony of the fifth degree
The indictment also serves as a superseding indictment for Dominic Marchionda, 58, of Poland, and his affiliated businesses which were previously indicted on October 2, 2017, on charges including Engaging in a Pattern of Corrupt Activity, Aggravated Theft, Money Laundering, Receiving Stolen Property, Tampering with Records, and Telecommunications Fraud. The indictment includes new charges of Theft pertaining to insurance funds for the Legal Arts building and Money Laundering for laundering the stolen insurance funds related to the Legal Arts building.
Sammarone served as Mayor of Youngstown from 2011 to 2013. The indictment alleges that Sammarone solicited and received recurring cash payments from a vendor in return for steering projects to the company.
Bozanich served as Finance Director of Youngstown until December 2017. The indictment alleges that Bozanich received benefits from several individuals and in return agreed to assist in securing public funding from the city for economic development projects, including Marchionda’s.
“The people of Youngstown deserve to have confidence in their elected officials, but the indictments announced today show a repeated pattern of bribery and corrupt activity,” said Attorney General Mike DeWine. “There has been tremendous cooperation in this case from my office, Auditor of State Dave Yost, Prosecutor Paul Gains, Sheriff Jerry Green, and others who have worked hard to bring these charges to light in order to seek justice.”
“These indictments should make clear to the people of the Mahoning Valley that our investigators and forensic auditors will not relent until we’ve taken down the last crook standing. The abuses we’ve uncovered are maddening, especially for an area of our state that has been challenged economically,” Auditor Dave Yost said. “Our work here is not complete, and we will continue to partner with Attorney General DeWine and the Mahoning County sheriff and prosecutor in this investigation until we’ve rooted out all of the corruption in the valley.”
This ongoing case is being investigated by the Ohio Auditor of State’s Public Integrity Assurance Team with the assistance of the Mahoning County Sheriff's Department. The Ohio Attorney General's Office is serving as special assistant prosecutor with Mahoning County in this case.
An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Documents
Indictment (PDF)
Media Contacts
Dan Tierney, AGO: 614-466-3840
Beth Gianforcaro, AOS: 614-644-1111