Probe of Walter's petitions expands into finances

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The county elections board has filed a complaint with the FEC.

By PETER H. MILLIKEN

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

WARREN — An investigation of irregularities on petitions filed by Randy D. Walter for this year's general election has broadened into a probe of his campaign finances in the 2000 Congressional race.

The Trumbull County Board of Elections voted unanimously today to file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission based on statements made by Patrick Vennetti of Howland in a taped interview June 21 with assistant Trumbull County prosecutors.

In response to an assistant prosecutor's question, Vennetti, a petition circulator for Walter's 2006 bid for Congress, said Walter gave him $1,000 in cash for the 2000 campaign and told him to pick names, such as those of Vennetti's relatives, and report that each gave $100 or less to Walter's campaign for the 17th Congressional District seat.

"We're shirking our duties if we don't forward this," to the FEC, said Sherron L. Platt, chairwoman of the county elections board.

"I put down some of my relatives. I think I put my brothers and sisters and my parents," Vennetti said during the interview. Vennetti, who had requested the meeting in the prosecutor's office, was accompanied at the interview by his lawyer, J. Gerald Ingram.

"He wanted me to justify them as donations on the books," Vennetti said, adding that he (Vennetti) handled all of the checks and cash coming into the campaign. Vennetti said he didn't know whether the money involved was Walter's own money and didn't "have any idea where the money came from."

Walter's response

"That did not happen, unequivocally," Walter said of the allegations regarding the 2000 campaign. "There'd be no reason for us to do that," he said, adding that he put more than $250,000 of his own money into that race. Walter also said his campaign finance reports would show that: "There are no Vennettis that made any contributions to my campaign."

In connection with Walter's independent candidacy this year, on July 11, the county elections board referred the names of Vennetti and three other people who said they circulated petitions for Walter to the county prosecutor's office. They are Grace Hreno of Niles, Walter's mother-in-law; Billie Mauritz of Boardman; and Georgene Mummey of Poland.

Kelly S. Pallante, elections board director, said then that some signatures on the petitions didn't match the signatures on elections records. The petition irregularities first became public June 9, and Walter withdrew from the Congressional race two weeks later.

Vennetti's statement on the tape "indicated what appears to be clear wrongdoing in violation of federal election laws," James T. Saker, chief of the civil division of the county prosecutor's office, told the elections board. "I don't know that this is a federal crime. I'm not sure of that yet. This is a Federal Elections Commission matter," Saker told the board.

Vennetti said in the taped interview that the 2000 campaign exceeded the $100-per-donor limit on cash contributions and falsified donor names, both violations of federal elections laws, Saker said.

Saker said the FEC will decide whether the six-year statute of limitations for legal action has expired in the case of the 2000 campaign.

Ingram declined to comment on behalf of Vennetti.

Tuesday, August 8, 2006