Former MS Consultant CFO charged in Youngstown corruption case
A Youngstown businessman is expected to plead guilty to charges filed in connection with an investigation into public corruption in Youngstown.
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YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - A Youngstown businessman is expected to plead guilty to charges filed in connection with an investigation into public corruption in Youngstown.
A special prosecutor on Thursday filed a Bill of Information charging former MS Consultant Chief Financial Officer Ray Briya with two counts of attempted bribery, tampering with records, obstructing justice and grand theft. Charges filed as a Bill of Information usually means that attorneys for the suspect have negotiated a plea agreement with prosecutors.
MS Consultants is an engineering, architecture, planning, and environmental consulting firm for public and private clients.
Special prosecutor Dan Kasaris alleges that during a ten year period, Briya paid former Youngstown Finance Director Dave Bozanich bribes amounting to more than $100,000 in cash as well as meals, gifts, and golf benefits.
Briya also allegedly attempted to bribe former Youngstown Mayor Chuck Sammarone with more than $9,000 in cash.
The third count of the information alleges that Briya complied with a request from developer Dominic Marchionda to create a false invoice claiming that Marchionda's company completed $105,000 worth of work on Youngstown's Erie Terminal Building when in reality only $8,000 worth of work had been done.
Investigators say that neither MS Consultants, its president, nor other officers were aware of Briya's activities, or that Briya allegedly stole money from the company to bribe the public officials.
The final count of obstructing justice stems from allegations that Briya lied to a grand jury about the false invoice he provided to Marchionda.
MS Consultants issued a statement in response to Briya's charges, making it clear the company did not have any knowledge of any wrongdoing.
"Mr. Briya acted alone, confirmed by the Ohio Attorney General's office and restated within the bill of information. As noted in each count, ms consultants was not involved in Mr. Briya's alleged actions," the statement reads.
In the statement, the company said Briya was fired in August 2018 after they learned of the allegations against him and that they plan to pursue legal action to get back the money Briya allegedly took.
Sammarone, Bozanich, and Marchionda face more than one hundred charges combined, including bribery, tampering with records, and attempted theft.
All three previously submitted not guilty pleas.
Marchionda and Bozanich are scheduled to go on trial in June. Sammarone has a separate trial set for March of next year.
