FBI agent, Phantom Fireworks CEO testify in Infante trial
It was a full day of testimony in the trial of former Niles mayor Ralph Infante with a local FBI agent and the CEO of Phantom Fireworks taking the stand. Interviews recorded by the agent in 2009 and 2015 were played aloud in court for the jury to hear.
It was a full day of testimony in the trial of former Niles Mayor Ralph Infante with a local FBI agent and the CEO of Phantom Fireworks taking the stand.
Interviews recorded by the agent in 2009 and 2015 were played aloud in court for the jury to hear.
Infante did not know he was being recorded at the time he was questioned by Youngstown FBI Special Agent Deane Hassman. The former mayor told Hassman in the recordings that he did not recall receiving any gifts or 2007 OSU football championship game tickets from Anthony Cafaro.
"The information largely corroborated that he received game tickets, that they were in a loge, that he did not pay for them, he offered to pay, but never did, has no recollection of paying and that he did list them as gifts on his financial disclosure form," Hassman testified.
Hassman says he looked into the cost of each ticket and determined they came to $4,000 a piece.
During cross-examination, Infante's Defense Attorney John Juhasz questioned if Hassman was digging into his client's finances had anything to do with a bigger picture.
"I was certainly interested in the relationship between Ralph Infante and Anthony Cafaro, yes," Hassman said.
Hassman said he opened a case file on Anthony Cafaro, Sr. in late 2006.
Phantom Fireworks CEO Bruce Zoldan also took the stand to detail the purchase of the OSU tickets. Zoldan said he bought $75,000 worth of tickets for the 2007 game and that Anthony Cafaro reimbursed him for several of those tickets.
Zoldan said he believed Infante attended the 2007 game and at one of his parties before or after the game.
The executive director the Ohio Ethics Commission was also called to testify. Paul Nick reviewed Infante's financial disclosure form for the 2007 calendar year, telling the court that Infante disclosed that he did not receive any gifts while in office that year.