Coach explains purchase mix-up

July 8, 2010


By PATRICK E. LITOWITZ
plitowitz@ncnewsonline.com

A flight to Florida met with unexpected turbulence a year after departure.

Today, state police are investigating the purchase of 12 airline tickets made from a bank account that supports the New Castle school district’s football programs.

Red Hurricane head football coach Frank Bongivengo Jr. said yesterday that the questionable transaction “was a simple, honest mistake that was rectified.”

The tickets were part of a graduation trip organized by Bongivengo’s son, Michael, and 11 of his friends. Last year, the 12 spent a week in Florida from July 5 and July 12. Each graduate paid for his own expenses.

The coach’s wife, Karen, collected money for the airline tickets. Another parent, whom Bongivengo did not identify, handled payments for the hotel rooms.

Working with a travel agent, Karen Bongivengo ordered the tickets April 13. She planned to deposit the money into their bank account that day.

“The price at that point was going to go up for the tickets,” Frank Bongivengo said. “We received the confirmation from the airlines on April 13. On the same day we realized, we had given them the wrong numbers.

“It was simply a matter of grabbing the wrong card.”

Bongivengo said the monies collected from the teens were deposited into the football account that same day when the mistake was discovered.

Financial statements and airline records obtained by The New Castle News confirmed Bongivengo’s timeline of events.

Bongivengo provided a notice from Southwest Airlines acknowledging the ticket order was approved at approximately 1:30 p.m. April 13. At Bongivengo’s request, the names of the students involved in the trip were blacked out.

An airline tracking service, www.flightstats.com, confirmed the flight from Pittsburgh to Orlando and the return trip had taken place.

The “New Castle Football” account statement for April 2009 showed 12 tickets were purchased for $3,146.40. The money was withdrawn from the account on April 16.

Two deposits totaling $2,470.70 were made on April 13. By July 3, the rest of the funds had been placed into the account.

“The remaining monies came in from the kids that hadn’t paid (prior to April 13),” Bongivengo said.

Bongivengo received school board permission on March 12, 2008, to oversee the city’s youth football program. The countywide youth football league had threatened to ban New Castle’s two squads unless better supervision occurred.

That board agreed to Bongivengo’s request in a 9-0 vote. Of those members, J. Allan Joseph, Mark Kirkwood, Karen Humphrey, Fred Mozzocio and Barbara Razzano serve on the current board.

The school district did not create nor does it oversee the “New Castle Football” account, which Bongivengo opened. A portion of concession stand sales during games at Taggart Stadium fund the account.

The state police investigation is taking place as the school district prepares to appeal an open records ruling in Lawrence County common pleas court.

Razzano, acting at the request of a group of parents, initiated a right-to-know request in November regarding the youth program’s operations, dating back to March 12, 2008. Not satisfied with the district’s response, she appealed to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records.

The district argued that it did not possess or control the records Razzano sought. The agency ruled in Razzano’s favor. The appeal is scheduled for Aug. 31.

Last week, county Distinct Attorney Joshua Lamancusa said the state’s investigation was in its early stages.

(Next week: A review of the youth football team’s finances.)