Warren man wanted after failing to appear for sentencing in election falsification case

A Warren man who pleaded guilty to collecting phony signatures to try to get an issue on the ballot regarding a city impound lot is now wanted after failing to appear for his sentencing.

According to Trumbull County Common Pleas Court records, Judge Sean J. O'Brien issued a warrant for the arrest of 43-year-old Joseph Pizzulo on Wednesday after he did not show up for his scheduled 9 a.m. sentencing hearing.

Pizzulo had pleaded guilty on Feb. 19 to a fifth-degree felony charge of election falsification.

The Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office said Pizzulo was among 26 people who gathered signatures from registered voters in Warren in the summer of 2020 on petitions seeking to halt the construction of a city-operated impound lot on Main Avenue SW.

Authorities found that Pizzulo submitted approximately 45 signatures that were either fake or forged.

Pizzulo faced a potential sentence of six months to one year in prison. His failure to appear in court prompted the warrant for his arrest.