Four of the seven suspects indicted last week in the Oakhill Renaissance Place saga arrived at the Mahoning County Justice Center Wednesday to be fingerprinted and get their mug shots taken.
Attorney Martin Yavorcik, who was the first to arrive at 8:45 a.m., spent nearly an hour and a half inside the jail being photographed and fingerprinted because the jail was having computer problems.
"I can't give any statements whatsoever," Yavorcik said. "I defer all my questions to my lawyers."
A short time later, county Auditor Mike Sciortino arrived at the jail. He called the charges against him ridiculous, and suggested that the investigation politically motivated.
"The characters involved, the timing of extending the grand jury and coming out with these indictments three months before an election," Sciortino said. "I mean it says a lot."
Both Sciortino and Commissioner John McNally, along with former Treasurer John Reardon, are charged with plotting to keep the county from buying Oakhill Renaissance Place in order to keep the Department of Job and Family Services in the Cafaro Company-owned McGuffy Mall.
After his own processing, McNally said he'd fight the charges as though his life is at stake.
"That's the way i'm gonna face it, whether it's my personal life, my professional life., my life as a leader in the community and as a father," McNally said. "I'm gonna fight like hell over the next year."
Flora Cafaro was the to arrive at the jail at about 11:20 a.m., accompanied by her lawyer, William Doyle.
"We're obviously gonna be defending this case vigorously to a successful conclusion," Doyle said.
Local developer Anthony Cafaro Sr. was rescheduled to appear tomorrow because he had a previously scheduled business meeting with out-of-town clients. A time for his appearance is not set.
Former county Treasurer John Reardon was rescheduled for booking at 1:30 p.m. Friday for unknown reasons. Former Job and Family Services Director John Zachariah is out of the country and has not yet been formally served.
Mug shots of the four defendants were released Wednesday afternoon. The two office holders say they will not be pressured into giving up their jobs and insist the Oakhill purchase was, and still is, a bad idea.
"I'm not going anywhere," Sciortino said. "We're gonna stand and we're gonna fight and we're gonna make sure that the facts come out."
"I'm gonna continue to do what I've been elected to do twice now," McNally said. "That's make decisions that I believe are in the best interests of the residents of Mahoning County, and this sure as hell isn't gonna stop me."
All five of Mahoning County's General Division judges have recused themselves from the Oakhill case. A filing has been sent to the Supreme Court of Ohio and a visiting judge should be appointed Thursday.
This may cause the discovery pretrial hearing, scheduled for Friday, to be postponed to a later date.
