The following is the Times Leader article regarding
SALAVANTIS ABUSE. Times Leader allows for ridiculous
lie & cover up... then prints it.
Mayoral, DA candidates allege District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis used public resources for campaign
By James O’Malley - jomalley@timesleader.com
Click here to view attached document
WILKES-BARRE — A Republican running for mayor and the Democrat hopeful for district attorney are lobbing joint allegations of illegal use of public office at Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis.
“You’re not going to campaign with my tax dollars,” Frank Sorick said Wednesday.
Sorick, running for mayor of Wilkes-Barre and president of the Wilkes-Barre City Taxpayers Association, claimed Wednesday in a letter addressed to Salavantis that an email exchange indicates her office used county resources in March to pull “confidential” files related to an animal crueltycase district attorney candidate Vito DeLuca handled in 2003 as a public defense attorney.
The email, which Sorick says was sent between March 4 and 5, says the files would be needed “by Monday.”
Sorick claims the records were pulled as a research effort against DeLuca, who had just received a campaign endorsement related to animal rights.
The allegations warrant a criminal investigation, Sorick wrote. His letter goes on to demand Salavantis refer the matter to the state Office of Attorney General and provide him with written proof of her office’s compliance.
Contacted for comment, DeLuca confirmed his support of the allegations and his involvement in bringing them to light.
“Our cities are turning into war zones; she’s complaining her office doesn’t have resources and this is how she uses those resources,” DeLuca said.
“Maybe someone should ask Vito who the prosecutor was,” Salavantis responded. “The thought of using one 12-year-old guilty plea as a representation of something in a 2015 race for district attorney is grasping at straws.”
The case’s prosecutor, she said, was now First Assistant District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce, and it was the only animal cruelty case he had handled. Salavantis said her office sought the file as reference for a meeting she and Sanguedolce had with the SPCA regarding a pending animal cruelty case.
Salavantis said the meeting was to occur on the Monday by which she required the records in question.
Case documents, which are public record, indicate Sanguedolce served as prosecutor and that DeLuca represented the defendant in the particular case, though free online records list another attorney as the attorney of record. DeLuca said this must have been done by mistake.
Behind the retrieval of the email, both he and Sorick said, was vocal blogger and city critic Mark Robbins.
Robbins filed a right-to-know request first with the DA’s office seeking the email, but was denied, DeLuca and Sorick said. He then filed another with the county and received the message.
DeLuca said he has known about the exchange since July, but decided not to come forward until he felt certain the district attorney’s office had no legitimate use for the file.
Though Obstruction of Justice charges will be examined for the 189 cases that the DA has dismissed... charges were filed today regarding other premeditated act(s).
1) A case can be made for theft of services against Salavantis as shes uses her $180,000 salary to work on her campaign site during business hours. Here is an example (there are more):
2) A person within the courthouse witnessed Marilyn King (Secretary/Office Mgr) personally soliciting court house workers encouraging them to "write-in" Salavantis during the time of 2015 Primary. This is Diversion of Services.
3) Please read for more Charges...
See the Pennsylvanians that have gone to jail HERE.
THE ACTORS:
Stefanie Salavantis – Current District Attorney
Sam Sanguedolce – First Assistant District Attorney
Toni Ardo – District Attorneys Office Manager
Marilyn King – Personal Secretary to Stefanie Salavantis
other names withheld at this time
other names withheld at this time
EVIDENCE:
I received a tip that Salavantis was using her office to do opposition research on her political opponent in the race for the District Attorneys Office, Vito DeLuca. Vito DeLuca has just received the public support of animal rights activists due to Salavantis’ mishandling of a case involving the starvation death of three horses. My source said that a clerk was directed to retrieve a confidential, criminal file from 2002 where Vito DeLuca was the criminal defense attorney. The case was one involving a cruelty to animals charge where Attorney Deluca, as a Public defender, had a legal obligation to defend the person charged. The case had been closed for at least twelve years. Note that the clerk (further down) is directed by Salavantis’ secretary to pull the file and Salavantis, Sanguedolce, and the office manager, Toni Ardo are copied on the file.
THIS IS ILLEGAL. THIS IS AN UNLAWFUL USE OF YOUR TAX DOLLARS! SALAVANTIS SHOULD SUFFER THE SAME FATE AS HER BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN PUBLIC CORRUPTION … REMOVAL FROM OFFICE, PROSECUTION, AND JAIL!
18 3926B THEFT OF SERVICES -
The actor having control over the disposition of services of others, namely THE ACTOR KNOWINLY DIVERTED SUCH SERVICES VALUED IN EXCESS OF $50 TO HER OWN BENEFIT WHEN SHE UTILIZED A MEMBER OF HER LUZERNE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY STAFF, NAMELY HER SECRETARY, MARILYN KING, and CLERK AND OTHERS, TO FACILITATE AND PROMOTE THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN OF STEFANIE SALAVANTIS TO RETAIN THE OFFICE OF LUZERNE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY AT VARIOUS DIVERSE TIMES IN 2015, to which the actor was not entitled, knowingly diverted such services to her own benefit or to the benefit of another not entitled thereto in violation of 18 PaC.S.§3926(b).
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________18 903A1 CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY M2 1 COUNT
The actor, with the intent of promoting or facilitating the crime of 18 Pa.C.S. Section 3926B conspired and agreed with MARILYN KING TO DIRECT STAFFERS FROM THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND OTHERS, TO FACILITATE AND PROMOTE THE ACTOR'S ELECTION CAMPAIGN TO RETAIN THE OFFICE OF LUZERNE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY AT VARIOUS DIVERSE TIMES IN 2015 that they or one or more of them would engage in conduct constituting such crime or an attempt or solicitation to commit such crime, and in furtherance thereof did commit an overt act in violation of 18 Pa.C.S. §903 (a)(1).
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
18 4113A MISAPPLICATION OF ENTRUSTED PROPERTY AND PROPERTY OF GOVERNMENT OR FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS M2 1 COUNT
The actor applied or disposed of property, namely THE ACTOR, PERSONALLY AND THROUGH HER SECRETARY, MARILYN KING, AN ACCOMPLICE PURSUANT TO 18 PA CS §306, USED HER PUBLIC OFFICE FACILITIES AND OFFICE EQUIPMENT TO FACILITATE AND PROMOTE THE POLITICAL CAMPAIGN OF STEFANIE SALAVANTIS TO RETAIN THE OFFICE OF LUZERNE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY AT VARIOUS AND DIVERSE TIMES IN 2015 that had been entrusted to the actor as a fiduciary, or property of the government or of a financial institution, in a manner which said actor knew was unlawful and involved substantial risk of loss or detriment to the owner of the property or to a person for whose benefit the property was entrusted, in violation of 18 Pa.C.S.§4113(a).
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TO WIT: THE ACTOR DIRECTLY, AND/OR THROUGH HER COUNTY EMPLOYED STAFF DIRECTED MEMBERS OF HER STAFF ORALLY AND/OR VIA EMAIL (EMAILS DATED MARCH 4 and 5, 2015 BETWEEN MARILYN KING AND ----- -------)TO RETRIEVE A CONFIDENTIAL DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE FILE OR FILES FROM A SECURE LOCATION, SPECIFICALLY CASE NO. 3913 OF 2002 WHICH WAS A CRIMINAL CASE
HANDLED BY HER POLITICAL OPPONENT, VITO DeLUCA, ESQ., AND SAID EMPLOYEES DID RETREIVE SAID FILE OR FILES AS DIRECTED.
18 5301(1) OFFICIAL OPPRESSION M2
The actor, acting or purporting to act in an official capacity or taking advantage of such actual or purported capacity namely DISTRICT ATTORNEY OF LUZERNE COUNTY, knowing that said actor’s conduct was illegal subjected another to arrest, detention, search, seizure, mistreatment, dispossession, assessment, lien or other infringement of personal or property rights; or denied or impeded the exercise or enjoyment of any right, privilege, power or immunity by another, namely MARILYN KING and Other, REQUIRING HER/THEM TO PERFORM POLITICAL AND CAMPAIGN RELATED ACTS IN 2015 THAT WERE PROHIBITED BY REQUIRING HER/THEM TO PERFORM POLITICAL AND CAMPAIGN RELATED ACTS DURING OFFICE HOURS WHEN USE OF STAFF EMPLOYEES IN THAT MANNER VIOLATED PENNSYLVANIA CRIMINAL LAW, in violation of18 Pa. C.S. §5301(1) or (2).
The Process...
I immediately filed a Right to Know Request with the District Attorneys Office in an attempt to secure proof.
I received a response from the District Attorneys Office Right to Know Officer requesting a thirty day extension due to “staffing limitations.” You will soon see the CAUSE of their STAFFING LIMITATIONS…
On August 27, 2015, the District Attorney’s Office DENIED my request…
The DA’s response said… “The above exception notwithstanding, our office has not generated any email… referred to in your request. Although any information sought in cases defended by Attorney DeLuca is public and available through the Clerk of Courts, this office has not directed research, investigation, etc. into such a matter.”
I then filed a Right to Know Request with the County’s IT Department in an attempt to secure proof…
The County granted my request and provided me with the following EVIDENCE that PROVES the District Attorney is using her PUBLIC, ELECTED Office, Confidential Files, Staff, and Equipment for campaign purposes. We know that she has broken the law... but we don't know the full extent of her criminal behavior. Sources were quoted as saying that staff was aked to "dig up on DeLuca." The intensity of her efforts is matched only by her desparation considering she went as far as to chase down a 12 year old file of Deluca's.
