New details in corruption probe against former Niles Mayor Ralph Infante
Details are beginning to emerge about the strength and the depth of the criminal case against former Niles Mayor Ralph Infante.
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Details are beginning to emerge about the strength and the depth of the criminal case against former Niles Mayor Ralph Infante.
Infante is the target of a public corruption probe covering his time as Mayor of Niles. Now we know much more about what the state of Ohio says he's guilty of.
Investigators released the Bill of Particulars in the case– and it's basically a laundry list of charges against Ralph Infante and his wife Judith.
The Ohio Attorney General's office is heading the case against the two and allege the couple deposited nearly 200 thousand dollars over a 7 year period into a local bank and didn't claim it as income
The state also charges Infante ran a gambling operation that bet on the Super Bowl, March Madness, NCAA basketball and some College Bowl games. And that the profits he collected were also never reported.
The state says Infante tried to cover up his alleged crimes by tampering with records. A few examples: gifts of cash in Christmas cards, a payment of $41,099 in cash income, and $8,000 worth of NCAA football championship game tickets from a local businessman.
The Christmas card cash only stopped after Infante lost re-election in 2015. One of the cards was later found by agents- torn up and in the trash at Infante's home.
Infante may have played a hand in his own undoing.
The state says Infante kept handwritten receipts from his illegal sports betting operation in cigar boxes.
But over the course of 24 years, his take wasn't what you might think. He netted just under $60,000 from 1992 to 2015.
Over and over the state alleges Infante conducted an illegal gambling business, hid the money, destroyed evidence and failed to report the income. The operation was run from his Niles home and the ITAM club in Girard.
Allegations in the document also characterize Infante as using his position as Mayor to sell city jobs, do favors for friends and take money in return.
One example: a contractor performed thousands of dollars of work on Infante's home. In return, its alleged Infante hired the contractor's friend.
It's lso alleged that Infante allowed a Niles business to skirt $40,000 in permit fees. And the Eastwood Field in Niles received free water for 14 years -- a $60,000 loss in revenue to the city of Niles.
Among the tampering with record charges, the state alleges Infante improperly awarded a bid for city work to a long-time friend, over the objections of Niles city council.
Infante allegedly tried to slam a lid on things in January of 2013 when he allegedly told one man to lie to investigators about the money he gave him.