Niles ex-Mayor Infante booked into jail
WARREN — Former Niles Mayor Ralph A. Infante was led away in handcuffs Monday from a Trumbull County courtroom after he pleaded not guilty to political corruption, gambling and other charges.
Co-defendants Judith Infante, Ralph Infante’s wife, and Scott Shaffer, an employee of Niles, also were cuffed and taken away after they pleaded not guilty to charges contained in a 58-count indictment filed in November against the three by a Trumbull County grand jury. They were taken to the Trumbull County Jail to be fingerprinted and photographed.
Each of the three defendants were released on a $100,000 personal recognizance bond and ordered to surrender their passports and get court permission to leave the state.
The trial is scheduled for April 24 before retired Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Patricia A. Cosgrove.
Ralph A. Infante, 61, who faces 56 charges, is being represented by Youngstown attorney John Juhasz. Youngstown attorney Lou DeFabio is representing Judith Infante, who faces 11 charges, and Shaffer, an operator in the Niles Water Department who faces two charges, is being represented by Warren attorney Martin White.
All are barred by Cosgrove from publicly commenting on the case.
Ralph Infante, mayor for 24 years, faces a maximum sentence of more than 100 years if he is convicted of all charges, which include engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, theft in office, gambling, soliciting improper compensation and tampering with records. He is accused of taking cash and favors in exchange for jobs, waiving of tens of thousands in building fees illegally, tax fraud and ethics violations.
Infante, owner of ITAM 39, 1762 N. State St., also pleaded not guilty to the charges levied against the business. The indictment alleges it was a house of gambling where slot machines and sports betting took place.
The illegal activity Infante is accused of stretches from 1987 until 2015, the last year Infante served as mayor.
Judith Infante, 67, faces 39 years on nine counts of tampering with records and one count each theft and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity. She is accused of being part of the corrupt activity her husband is accused of, of stealing money from the federal government for failing to pay taxes on gambling earnings and filing false tax documents.
Shaffer, 51, faces six years on theft in office charges. He is accused in the indictment of selling city property and keeping the cash.
Daniel Kasaris, a senior assistant in Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s office, is the special prosecutor.
rfox@tribtoday.com
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