June 01, 2011
A) I was towed and had to pay $ 200. Vehicle damage was $ 800.
B) I wanted a police report the damage. If police gave me this I would have walked away and Leo Glodzik would still be stealing cars !!
C) Police made the fatal mistake of trying to bully and intimidate me. I took a polygraph test to rebuke their lies (scroll down)
Cops: Dana Cope (outside), Ken Jones (in cruiser), later Captain Bill Harden showed up, don't know Ken Jones' partner
POLYGRAPH TEST ($650 PAID FOR BY ME IN 2011)
A) When you called Wilkes-Barre 911 on June 1st, did you report Leo Glodzik's threatening behavior?
Answer "Yes" RESULT: NO DECEPTION INDICATED (2.4%)
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B) On June 1, did a Wilkes-Barre police officer (Dana Cope) say to you "l don't give a fuck about your car”?
Answer "Yes" RESULT: NO DECEPTION INDICATED (0.6%)
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C) On June 1st, when Wilkes-Barre police arrived on the scene after you called them, did officers speak to Leo Glodzik first before speaking with you? (3 separate instances... Leo Glodzik gets "extra special attention" from police... even in the face of a 911 call made against him.) Do you normally speak to the aggressor first in a 911 call?… and then next to the person who made the call? THREE TIMES OVER? Do you consider this normal police work?
Answer "Yes" RESULT: NO DECEPTION INDICATED (0.1%)
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D) On June 1, did Leo Glodzik suggest that you lie to AAA by telling them your car had overheated? (This was part of Leo’s “fraud proposition” to me where he advised me to lie to AAA to get the $200 back... see Section IV on web site)
Answer "Yes" RESULT: NO DECEPTION INDICATED (0.1%)
Posted three years ago by me
(Do you think that maybe Glodzik has taken too many cars? DUH)
Stealing cars from the impoverished, the vulnerable, and the defenseless must be stopped.
The perpetrators, the police protection, and the bribes must be exposed.
The reign of terror on the poor has lasted (now) eight years.
It begins with Mayor Thomas Leighton.
The dirty cops are “his” cops
TOP 10 PUBLIC DIRTBAGS IN LUZERNE COUNTY
On the heals of Leo Glodzik's crimes... it makes sense to list those that helped him steal cars and shady characters of other stripes. (Glodzik article is below)
1) Mike Dessoye, Head Luzerne County Detective: He stands as the keystone between the DA, FBI, WBPD, and others. No one is in a better position to know than he. Yet he hasn't lifted a finger. Failing to report felonies is a felony. And he's the head detective. He belongs in prison. Sadly it is reported that he runs the local FBI. He must otherwise he would be charged.
2) WBPD Chief Gerard Dessoye who protected a heroin house and set up trysts with the "heroin honey." He also turned a blind eye to everything Leo Glodzik did. He deserves massive prison time. Dessoye resigned as chief because he couldn't take the heat. So King's college throws him a life raft at $ 85,000 (King's security). Father Ryan is as corrupt as anyone
3) Former WBPD Chief Bob Hughes. Appointed by Leighton. He was legally entitled to tows cars on one end and also had a licence to sell them on the back end. Hard to fathom this money making machine.
4) Former WB Mayor Tom Leighton. He obviously benefited from LAG Towing in that it was alleged he was receiving kickbacks. Remember the shady and secretive property deals with Glodzik? Nearly every deal he was involved in was shady. The list is long.
5) Pa State Police Commander James Degnan who as commander of the local PSP orchestrated a cover up for our current DA's DUI. Not only did he protect Salavantis... but the troopers were obviously given a gag order. How are we to trust those that cover up?
6) Stefanie Salavantis our DA. She knew about LAG Towing before she even began (I have e mail to prove it).. She is incompetent and was guilty of a DUI which was miraculously tossed. She tossed 40 plus DUI cases for no reason. She is an embarrassment to the job. She is also know to be a heavy drinker. Ask an Uber driver that takes her home drunk.
7) Sam Sanguedolce who is the Assistant DA. He too covered up for the Salavantis DUI and has (without merit) tossed DUI cases from his own firm (huge conflict of interest). He is known to be a monstrous drinker. He threw out every complaint made against Glodzik (from citizens). This is despicable.
8) Leo Glodzik of LAG Towing. I rate him down here because it was the older and wiser men that allowed him to steal (my estimate) 1,000 cars (1 car per week for 10 years). He did not act alone.
9) Father Ryan who, despite huge protestations from King's Board members, "rescued"
Leo Glodzik actually returned this car in this conditon to a 78 year old lady
Glodzik crushed the car - she didn't
3) Former WBPD Chief Bob Hughes. Appointed by Leighton. He was legally entitled to tows cars on one end and also had a licence to sell them on the back end. Hard to fathom this money making machine.
4) Former WB Mayor Tom Leighton. He obviously benefited from LAG Towing in that it was alleged he was receiving kickbacks. Remember the shady and secretive property deals with Glodzik? Nearly every deal he was involved in was shady. The list is long.
5) Pa State Police Commander James Degnan who as commander of the local PSP orchestrated a cover up for our current DA's DUI. Not only did he protect Salavantis... but the troopers were obviously given a gag order. How are we to trust those that cover up?
Car that Glodzik stole from Senta Boyer. I ended up paying for a new car for this lady who was stranded with two kids.
6) Stefanie Salavantis our DA. She knew about LAG Towing before she even began (I have e mail to prove it).. She is incompetent and was guilty of a DUI which was miraculously tossed. She tossed 40 plus DUI cases for no reason. She is an embarrassment to the job. She is also know to be a heavy drinker. Ask an Uber driver that takes her home drunk.
Corruption entwined (Salavantis and G Dessoye)
7) Sam Sanguedolce who is the Assistant DA. He too covered up for the Salavantis DUI and has (without merit) tossed DUI cases from his own firm (huge conflict of interest). He is known to be a monstrous drinker. He threw out every complaint made against Glodzik (from citizens). This is despicable.
8) Leo Glodzik of LAG Towing. I rate him down here because it was the older and wiser men that allowed him to steal (my estimate) 1,000 cars (1 car per week for 10 years). He did not act alone.
Dessoye hid in a spider hole while WB chief.
Consequences: $85,000 at Kings so he can watch the co-eds as security Chief
9) Father Ryan who, despite huge protestations from King's Board members, "rescued"
former WBPD Chief Gerard Dessoye by offering him the Head Security job at King's. Ryan did this despite being clearly informed of Dessoye running interference for "Cars for Cash" and his relationship with his heroin user/ dealer. Drugs from that house are responsible for a hanging (in jail) and an overdose death.
10) President Judge Dick Hughes. He was going door to door with Salavantis 4 1/2 years ago while lying to the former DA. As a top Republican he had to know about the Salavantis DUI and (presumed) pay off. He was also part of the gag order among the state police (Was this free or paid for?). If he did, he is guilty of a cover up. There is also no quality checks on Magistrates. The people should not have have to stand before drunks. Dick Hughes settled my dad's estate. The cost? $125,000 This is nuts.
THE BEGINNING OF CARS FOR CASH
This investigation would not have happened had Glodzik, like a man, admitted he damaged my car and offered to rectify it. How hard would that be? Instead he drove off saying “take it to civil court.” This refrain of “it’s a civil matter” is a nefarious phrase used to quell residents to protect Glodzik. It is the cops’ “pet phrase” to protect Glodzik and a way to never point a criminal finger at Glodzik. It is part of wholesale corruption.
I have never heard of a city not issuing an “event” or “incident” report. I wanted one to take to court to document (what I claimed) happened that day. THE POLICE WOULD NOT GIVE ME ONE. I was persistent in my attempts to get one.
One thing I realized too was how Glodzik intercepts 911 calls made against him and has conversations with the cop on the other end. I called the police several times. In order of physical appearance at LAG, here are the cops that showed:
KENNETH JONES (now suspended for assault related allegations): He pulled up with a partner in Cruiser 543. Jones got out of the car and said, “I have to use the bathroom.” He went inside LAG’s office and locked the door from the inside. HE NEVER TALKED TO ME. He came outside and said, “You are just mad your car got towed.” When I followed through on asking for an incident/event report, he shouted at me, “You disgust me. Get away from me. I don’t even want to look at you.”
KENNETH JONES’ PARTNER was sitting in the cruiser while Jones went inside. I went to talk to him and he would not acknowledge me. I tapped on his window. He would not roll down his window and he kept staring ahead. It was bizarre. My hunch is that he knew how LAG worked and wanted no part of LAG or his victims. Can you imagine the morale within the police force with this type of nonsense?
DANA COPE When Cope showed up I drove my car past him so he could hear the squealing. He yelled at me, “I don’t give a fuck about your car.”He showed up with a female “police ride-along.” See picture. I cannot imagine a worse “training session.” I have since learned that Dana (and/or family) has accepted tows (or a tow) from Glodzik. Based on Cope’s biased behavior, any “gifts” he has received (including champagne) are in my opinion bribes. Plain and Simple. Like Kenneth Jones, COPE NEVER TALKED TO ME despite me making the calls to police.
BILL HARDEN Have you ever been in front of someone who is so angry that they reach a level where they are capable of anything? He was like the gargoyle at the gate. I really thought he was going to punch me. Or perhaps take me to jail for some “trumped up” charge with his three lackeys as witnesses. It was me who suffered $780 in damage and I was being treated like the perpetrator. I wish I had him on tape. His explosive temper would have had him minimally suspended. HARDEN NEVER ASKED ME FOR MY SIDE OF THE STORY EITHER.
THE NEXT DAY (June 2) I went to the police station to find out the identities of the cops that were at LAG. Do you know that Kenneth Jones said? He said that only he and Sergeant Harden were there. Recall… there were 5 people there (including the college ride-along) and he claimed there were only two! A POLYGRAPH WAS MY ONLY WAY OUT.
CURRENT CITIZENS VOICE NEWSPAPER (did a good job!!)
Glodzik hit with new charges
JAMES HALPIN
Published: April 1, 2016
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MARK MORAN / THE CITIZENS’ VOICE Leo A. Glodzik III arrives for a hearing in 2013.
WILKES-BARRE — The embattled former Wilkes-Barre city towing operator at the center of a notorious bank fraud case was hit with new charges Thursday alleging that for eight years he lied and cheated to enrich himself through his predatory towing business.
Federal prosecutors say Leo A. Glodzik III (LAG Towing) , 45, of 1009 Morgan Drive, has agreed to plead guilty to counts of mail fraud, possessing a firearm as a felon and filing false tax returns (Note: The mail fraud I uncovered with Right to know requests. The police were doctoring reports (and not collecting others) to allow Glodzik to steal cars. Many people benefitted through this criminal activity). The mail fraud will suck in former Mayor Thomas Leighton and former chief Gereard Dessoye.)
In exchange, prosecutors will drop bank fraud charges in a Wilkes-Barre City Employees Federal Credit Union fraud case, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Federal prosecutors allege that as the city’s exclusive towing operator from 2005 through June 2013, Glodzik, “devised and intended to devise a scheme to defraud and obtain money and property by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses.”
Glodzik is also accused of tax fraud for reporting no taxable income in one year when he in fact earned more than $400,000, according to prosecutors.
Neither Glodzik nor his attorney, Joseph F. Sklarosky Sr., immediately returned messages seeking comment.
A date for Glodzik to enter his plea had not been set.
Red flags
Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George, who was a vocal critic of Glodzik while on city council (solely through me) said the charges prove he was right when he repeatedly demanded over the course of years that the city should sever ties with Glodzik over deceptive business practices.
George said residents who lost their cars after getting towed by Glodzik complained to the previous administration run by former Mayor Tom Leighton, but were ignored.
“He held their cars for ransom,” said George, who served as city police chief from September 2000 to January 2004. “To get out of paying their bills, they signed over their titles.”
The towing contract required Glodzik to submit records to the police department, but he didn’t, said George, who took over as mayor in January.
A lack of records was a “clear” sign that something underhanded was going on, George said.
“There was a bunch of red flags that went on deaf ears to the mayor (Leighton),” George said, noting Glodzik had been convicted of stealing money in an FBI sting operation. “I asked him several times to void his contract, and he didn’t even do it after he was found guilty. He said he wanted to wait for all his appeals.”
Leighton and former police Chief Gerard Dessoye did not immediately return requests for comment (I wonder why?)
News of the new charges and subsequent plea agreement also came as vindication for some of Glodzik’s adversaries who have long cried foul over his conduct.
“We were right all along,” said City-Wide Towing operator Bob Kadluboski, who had the city contract prior to Glodzik.
He said he planned to contact prosecutors to urge their continued interest in the case.
“Leo Glodzik didn’t do this alone,” he said.
‘Scheme to defraud’
After WB Truth blogger Mark Robbins accused Glodzik of stealing a woman’s car for scrap in 2011, Glodzik defended himself to The Citizens’ Voice by claiming he ran an honest business.
“When they come in, people are treated fairly,” Glodzik said at the time. “We’re not like a pirate ship.”
But the charges filed Thursday largely back up Robbins’ allegations.
According to the complaint, Glodzik’s businesses would routinely tow vehicles and charge their owners excessive fees for the service. The businesses also intentionally made it difficult for the owners to access the vehicles in an attempt to drive up storage fees, prosecutors allege.
In some cases, owners could not afford the towing and storage costs, which “often exceeded the actual value of the vehicle,” according to a criminal information report filed Thursday.
“It was part of the scheme to defraud that Glodzik intentionally employed such tactics with an eye toward gaining ownership of the individual’s vehicle because such tactics frequently caused vehicle owners to sign over the vehicle’s title to LAG Transport, Inc., or to Leo Glodzik, in order to discharge the towing and storage fees, which often accumulated quickly to an amount greater than the value of the vehicle,” the complaint alleges.
As a result, Glodzik would salvage or sell the vehicles for his own personal profit, the complaint says.
The complaint alleges that Glodzik completed Pennsylvania Department of Transportation forms indicating the vehicles were worth less than $500, knowing they were worth more.
A copy of one such form, the MV-952, (I, Mark Robbins, have all of these reports from 3 years ago. Terrie Morgan Besecker and I worked on this) obtained by The Citizens’ Voice says information about the value of a vehicle being removed “must be completed by a police officer” in addition to the entity doing the towing. The form requires the officer’s identification number and signature for completion.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office was unable to provide clarification about whether Glodzik forged the documents or if police officers helped him complete them by press time Thursday.
The complaint goes on to say that by reporting the vehicles as worth less than $500, Glodzik was able to avoid the costs of advertising abandoned vehicles, auctioning them off and making payments to the state.
“As a result of engaging in the scheme to defraud as described above, and attempting to do so, Glodzik financially enriched himself by unlawfully taking ownership of motor vehicles to which he was not otherwise entitled and by unlawfully reducing the expenses associated with the unlawful taking of those vehicles that he was otherwise required to pay,” the complaint alleges.
The document cites one example from April 30, 2011, in which Glodzik sent the fraudulent documents through the U.S. mail regarding a 1998 Dodge pickup.
Glodzik also reported zero income in 2008, when in fact he earned $408,618, prosecutors said.
The charges also allege Glodzik, who was previously convicted of felony theft in an FBI sting operation, illegally possessed several firearms in August 2014.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Glodzik faces maximum penalties of 20 years in prison on the mail fraud charge, 10 years in prison on the weapons charge and three years in prison on the tax charge. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000 on each count.
A plea agreement filed Thursday says the U.S. Attorney’s Office agrees not to bring further charges against Glodzik related to the case.
If Glodzik accepts responsibility for his actions, prosecutors will recommend a reduced offense level for sentencing purposes, according to the agreement. Prosecutors, however, reserved the right to seek a sentence up to the maximum.
The parties agree that for sentencing purposes, the mail fraud involved a loss of between $40,000 and $95,000 and the tax return charge involved a loss of between $200,000 and $230,000.
Legal troubles
The plea agreement filed Thursday signals an end to a years-long legal battle Glodzik has waged against state and federal authorities.
Last fall, Glodzik was paroled from the Luzerne County Correctional Facility after serving the minimum of his three- to 12-month sentence for a felony theft conviction that cost him his contract with the city.
In that case, Glodzik was snared in a January 2013 FBI sting operation a (set in motion by me) after taking $2,100 in bait money left in a car by a state trooper posing as a corrupt cop.
Until the announcement of the plea agreement Thursday, Glodzik had been awaiting trial in a Wilkes-Barre City Employees Federal Credit Union fraud case as well as on weapons charges in federal court.
According to prosecutors, Amanda Magda, former assistant manager of the credit union, helped former Wilkes-Barre police officer Tino Ninotti get a fraudulent loan for about $25,000 using a fake vehicle identification number Glodzik provided. In fact, Ninotti never intended to buy the truck indicated on the loan documents, on which he had forged the name of his brother, Dino Ninotti, prosecutors said.
Magda also signed off on a forged signature in a loan application for former city police officer Jason Anthony, who admitted that he forged a signature to get a $7,159 loan.
Magda was sentenced in November to two years of probation in the case.
Earlier this week, prosecutors filed unopposed motions to continue the sentencing proceedings for Anthony and Ninotti, who previously pleaded guilty and were set to be sentenced next Thursday.
Glodzik, the final defendant to maintain his innocence in that case, saw his trial date pushed back repeatedly because of plea negotiations he has been engaged in with prosecutors.
His trial in the fraud case had been slated to begin Monday.
570-821-2058, @cvjimhalpin bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2055 @cvbobkal
GLODZIK TIMELINE:
• April 2005: Wilkes-Barre City awards exclusive towing contract to Leo Glodzik’s LAG Towing after he agrees to pay $50,050 per year.
• Sept. 2010: City renews contract with Glodzik through 2015.
• June 2011: Mark Robbins of Forty Fort gets car towed by Glodzik and is upset with the fees. He later complains to city council that it’s “obvious that something is amiss” and Glodzik was “profiting off the backs of the poorest, most vulnerable and most defenseless citizens.” (actually he damaged my tie rods for $800... but no matter)
• July 2011: The Citizens’ Voice reveals Glodzik does not submit monthly activity logs as required by towing contract and also reports that Glodzik had given more than $10,000 in campaign contributions to then Mayor Tom Leighton.
• June 2012: Councilman Tony George seeks motion recommending Leighton terminate Glodzik’s contract due to lack of records and numerous complaints by residents about Glodzik’s excessive fees and deceptive business practices.
• July 2012: Leighton says he will form a committee to investigate LAG Towing’s billing practices and recording-keeping.
• Jan. 2013: George reveals Glodzik tried to illegally charge an 82-year-old woman $2,000 to retrieve her stolen car, but instead she signed the title over to him to pay the fees. Glodzik illegally charged crime victims at least 10 times, city records show.
• May 2013: Glodzik is charged with theft for stealing $2,100 in bait money from a vehicle as part of an FBI sting operation. Leighton suspends Glodzik.
• May 2014: Jury convicts Glodzik of theft.
• July 2014: Glodzik sentenced to three to 12 months in prison, but remains free on bail while he appeals.
• Aug. 2014: FBI charges Glodzik with bank fraud following investigation into Wilkes-Barre City Employees Federal Credit Union
• April 2015: City officially terminates Glodzik’s contract after the Superior Court denied Glodzik’s appeal.
• June 2015: Glodzik reports to Luzerne County Correctional Facility for three month sentence
• March 2016: Glodzik agrees to plead guilty to allegations he charged excessive fees and illegally seized cars while serving as Wilkes-Barre’s exclusive towing contractor.
COMMENTS
"June 2011: Mark Robbins of Forty Fort gets car towed by Glodzik and is upset with the fees. He later complains to city council that it’s “obvious that something is amiss” and Glodzik was “profiting off the backs of the poorest, most vulnerable and most defenseless citizens".
Thank you........
fed_up_one Paul Quigley 13 hours ago
RobbinsMark stood up to the corruption and was even arrested for trespass on police property when dozens of other people per day walked on the same property. He stuck with it when his enemies viciously attacked his claims and his integrity. I wish this valley had a lot more people like Mark.
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