July 29, 2010
By PATRICK E. LITOWITZ
plitowitz@ncnewsonline.com
A group of volunteers has created an organization to oversee funds for New Castle’s youth football teams.
The action continues Red Hurricane head football coach Frank Bongivengo Jr.’s supervisory role while removing himself from the finances.
The program is the subject of an open records dispute, which will be heard in late August. In addition, Lawrence County District Attorney Joshua Lamancusa and Pennsylvania State Police are investigating approximately $3,200 in purchases related to the program.
“I don’t want to put my wife (Karen) and myself through that again,” Bongivengo said about initiating the change.
Pat Minenok will serve as head commissioner of the group New Castle Youth Football. Other commissioners are Patsy Cioppa, Jeff Morell and Craig Anderson. Minenok said he and Cioppa are the co-signers on a new bank account created for league operations.
The youth program is for district students in grades three through six. However, it is not operated by the school system, which funds teams starting in the seventh grade.
In March 2008, the school board supported Bongivengo’s request to supervise the city teams. The county’s youth football league said it would ban New Castle from play unless Bongivengo took over, the coach told the board.
In volunteering to run the program, Bongivengo asked for permission to operate the Taggart Stadium concession stands. He said the money would be used for youth football expenses and contribute to the district program.
The school district made an initial investment of $23,000 to purchase equipment and pay vendors owed money from the defunct youth teams.
Bongivengo addressed the controversy in a letter to parents.
“Although some have tried to bring it down, we can assure you that the main priority of this program is our children,” he wrote. “Our goals remains the same ... teaching our young children the fundamentals of the game as well as providing them with a structure(d), safe and fun environment.”
He added that the commissioners will provide open access to financial records upon request.
Approximately 110 have registered for the upcoming season, Minenok said.
Students in West Pittsburg, the city’s South Side and East Side play for New Castle Black and practice at Deshon Field. The New Castle Red squad, which practices at George Washington Intermediate Elementary, is made up of youth from the North Hill, Mahoningtown and the West Side.
Sign-ups will continue through tomorow from 5 to 8 p.m. at Taggart Stadium. Next week, registration will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at George Washington and Deshon Field.
Minenok estimated that 155 students participated in the 2009 season. He expects to surpass that total for the 2010 campaign.
For additional information, call Minenok at (724) 714-1447.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Fraud scandal trial date moved
July 27, 2010
By PATRICK E. LITOWITZ
plitowitz@ncnewsonline.com
Attorneys in the Affordable Housing mortgage fraud scandal requested yesterday that the federal trial be rescheduled for October.
U.S. District Judge Gustave Diamond is expected to approve the motion, which involves Anthony J. Staph Jr. of Neshannock Township and Nicholas DeRosa, a New Castle resident.
The move also would affect the sentencing of Robert Ratkovich of 512 Norwood Ave. Ratkovich pleaded guilty in July 2009 to one count of bank and mail fraud conspiracy and one count of money laundering conspiracy.
He was to be sentenced tomorrow morning in Pittsburgh federal court.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office have accused Ratkovich, Staph and DeRosa of being part of a conspiracy involving Affordable Housing of Lawrence County, a defunct, nonprofit housing agency. First Commonwealth Bank reportedly was defrauded of $250,000 when it agreed to finance seven city properties at inflated prices, prosecutors charged.
A former city school administrator and councilman, DeRosa was charged with one count of bank fraud, two counts of mail fraud and one count of money laundering conspiracy. A real estate appraiser, Staph was indicted on one count of bank fraud.
The jury selection and trial for Staph and DeRosa had been set to begin Aug. 9.
Attorney Efrem M. Grail asked to continue the trial to Oct. 4.
“Unfortunately, each of the three principal attorneys in this case had already scheduled family vacations out of the jurisdiction and had prepaid travel reservations which could not be changed without significant financial penalties,” Grail wrote.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan T. Conway and Staph’s counsel, attorney Thomas J. Farrell, agreed to the motion.
In connection with the continuance, the U.S. Attorney’s Office asked Diamond to move Ratkovich’s sentencing date to late October. Conway said that as part of Ratkovich’s plea agreement, the former city councilman agreed to participate in the government’s case against Staph and DeRosa.
In a pretrial opinion released last week, Diamond ruled Staph and DeRosa would go on trial together. The judge refused to dismiss the one count against Staph and DeRosa’s conspiracy to commit money laundering charge.
By PATRICK E. LITOWITZ
plitowitz@ncnewsonline.com
Attorneys in the Affordable Housing mortgage fraud scandal requested yesterday that the federal trial be rescheduled for October.
U.S. District Judge Gustave Diamond is expected to approve the motion, which involves Anthony J. Staph Jr. of Neshannock Township and Nicholas DeRosa, a New Castle resident.
The move also would affect the sentencing of Robert Ratkovich of 512 Norwood Ave. Ratkovich pleaded guilty in July 2009 to one count of bank and mail fraud conspiracy and one count of money laundering conspiracy.
He was to be sentenced tomorrow morning in Pittsburgh federal court.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office have accused Ratkovich, Staph and DeRosa of being part of a conspiracy involving Affordable Housing of Lawrence County, a defunct, nonprofit housing agency. First Commonwealth Bank reportedly was defrauded of $250,000 when it agreed to finance seven city properties at inflated prices, prosecutors charged.
A former city school administrator and councilman, DeRosa was charged with one count of bank fraud, two counts of mail fraud and one count of money laundering conspiracy. A real estate appraiser, Staph was indicted on one count of bank fraud.
The jury selection and trial for Staph and DeRosa had been set to begin Aug. 9.
Attorney Efrem M. Grail asked to continue the trial to Oct. 4.
“Unfortunately, each of the three principal attorneys in this case had already scheduled family vacations out of the jurisdiction and had prepaid travel reservations which could not be changed without significant financial penalties,” Grail wrote.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan T. Conway and Staph’s counsel, attorney Thomas J. Farrell, agreed to the motion.
In connection with the continuance, the U.S. Attorney’s Office asked Diamond to move Ratkovich’s sentencing date to late October. Conway said that as part of Ratkovich’s plea agreement, the former city councilman agreed to participate in the government’s case against Staph and DeRosa.
In a pretrial opinion released last week, Diamond ruled Staph and DeRosa would go on trial together. The judge refused to dismiss the one count against Staph and DeRosa’s conspiracy to commit money laundering charge.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Youth football expenses detailed
July 21, 2010
By PATRICK E. LITOWITZ
plitowitz@ncnewsonline.com
Coach noticed the cones.
They weren’t part of the equipment given to New Castle youth football teams in 2008. Neither were the extra footballs, paper cups and oranges.
Frank Bongivengo Jr. learned volunteer coach Pat Minenok bought the supplies for his players.
The New Castle High head football coach appreciated the gesture but disapproved of it.
“If you or any of the other coaches start spending your own money on this program, what’s going to happen when you guys leave and the next guy can’t do that?” Minenok recalled the coach saying. “People are going to begin to expect the same things.”
“Frank said (the supplies) had to come from the program.”
Minenok, who is also an assistant varsity coach, didn’t ask to be repaid and didn’t keep the receipts.
“I didn’t think it was anything that was important,” he said.
The coach reimbursed Minenok $120.
FINANCES
Bongivengo ignored his own directive.
A review of Bongivengo’s financial statements and checks document that the coach and his wife, Karen, spent approximately $2,100 on the youth and district football programs. They also paid $1,270 in cash to stock the Taggart Stadium concession stand.
However, approximately $3,600 in ATM and bank withdrawals along with transfers from the youth football account took place in 2009. While no receipts are provided, Bongivengo detailed the expenses in a letter to the district.
Minenok’s $120 reimbursement is one example.
Through a Right to Know request, the New Castle News obtained Bongivengo’s financial information and correspondences with the city school district regarding the youth football program.
The Red Hurricane coach approached the school board March 12, 2008, with a request to oversee the city’s youth teams, featuring students in grades three through six.
“The first problem and concern we had was a lack of proper supervision and guidance — lack of quality coaches who have a kid-first mentality,” he said.
ULTIMATUM
Officials of the Tri-County Youth League reportedly told Bongivengo along with school board members Mark Kirkwood and Fred Mozzocio about their issues with the New Castle teams.
“(They) basically gave us an ultimatum saying that they would not allow us to play in the league any longer unless it was taken over by me.”
The board agreed to the move in a 9-0 vote. The district provided an initial investment of approximately $23,000 to purchase new equipment and to pay vendors owed money from the disbanded teams. Attorney Dallas Hartman helped to offset the district’s costs with a $10,000 contribution.
Bongivengo also requested that backers of the youth football program operate the Taggart Stadium concession stands. The district told Bongivengo he would have to split the use of the concession stand with the cheerleaders booster group.
The district budget funds the football program starting at the seventh-grade level. With game-day food sales, the youth football teams had their primary funding.
Bongivengo told the board he would also earmark a portion of the money for the upper grades.
During the first season, Bongivengo asked Kirkwood to assist with the finances. The school board member said he has been a youth football volunteer for approximately 30 years.
“He wanted me to help with the checkbook and that, since I had been around for so long,” Kirkwood said.
Working with Karen Bongivengo, he performed bookkeeping and made deposits from the concession stand sales. Kirkwood kept the funds in an account once used by the East Side Boosters.
Because the school district had purchased equipment for the youth teams, profits went into the bank.
“That’s why we had a surplus,” Kirkwood said.
In March 2009, he turned over approximately $9,600 to Bongivengo’s New Castle Football account.
ONE ACCOUNT
“He wanted one account instead of two,” Kirkwood said. “That was fine. He and his wife, Karen, were going to do the books anyway.”
He threw out the receipts when the 2008 season ended. Kirkwood said he was not questioned in the past about the practice. He said he has bank statements for the previous seasons.
A three-man committee of Minenok, Wayne Ryan and Pat Cioppa oversaw the league the next season. Minenok assisted Karen Bongivengo with the finances.
“Whenever we would get money from concessions, Karen wanted to get things verified,” Minenok said. “She would call me over and sit down and count the money. We would count it, initial it and deposit it.
“It wasn’t computerized or anything like that. It was handwritten.”
The youth program brought in approximately $14,000 in revenue during 2009. A majority of the group’s purchases involved supplies for the concession stand and football equipment. Other expenses were for ambulance service, trophies and pizza parties.
On two occasions, funeral floral arrangements were purchased. One for New Castle sports announcer Harry Dattilo and another for the family of a football coach, whose mother had died.
One question mark involved $3,146 spent on 12 airline tickets for Frank Bongivengo’s son and his friends. In an interview with The News earlier this month, Bongivengo said the tickets were paid on April 13, 2009, with the wrong debit card.
The mistake was realized the same day, he said. The money collected from the students for the trip, $2,470.70, was placed in the football account to cover the costs. The amount was paid in full on July 3, 2009, when the last of the students turned in their money.
TRANSFERS
That leaves the $3,600 in cash withdrawals and transfers that lack documentation. The 14 items range from $40 for party supplied for a youth football party to $2,250 in reimbursements through online transfers.
In a letter to the school district, Bongivengo said he made the transfer to reimburse himself for “expenses I incurred during the 2008 Pop Warner season as well as personal money spent in April and May 2009 for food, weightlifting, (college) recruiting expenses, printer for stadium, cables, ink.”
The coach said he withdrew $400 to provide change for the concession stand and took out $200 for the Pitt Football Passing Camp. Bongivengo also noted that he paid $62 for a graduating senior to take a college entrance exam.
The Bongivengos spent $2,100 of their own money at the beginning of 2010 on the youth football program. The money was used for “picture footballs,” programs and program design costs.
“We just want to run the program,” Minenok said. “We want to get the kids playing football.
“(Bongivengo) has all these different programs to worry about than just Pop Warner.”
By PATRICK E. LITOWITZ
plitowitz@ncnewsonline.com
Coach noticed the cones.
They weren’t part of the equipment given to New Castle youth football teams in 2008. Neither were the extra footballs, paper cups and oranges.
Frank Bongivengo Jr. learned volunteer coach Pat Minenok bought the supplies for his players.
The New Castle High head football coach appreciated the gesture but disapproved of it.
“If you or any of the other coaches start spending your own money on this program, what’s going to happen when you guys leave and the next guy can’t do that?” Minenok recalled the coach saying. “People are going to begin to expect the same things.”
“Frank said (the supplies) had to come from the program.”
Minenok, who is also an assistant varsity coach, didn’t ask to be repaid and didn’t keep the receipts.
“I didn’t think it was anything that was important,” he said.
The coach reimbursed Minenok $120.
FINANCES
Bongivengo ignored his own directive.
A review of Bongivengo’s financial statements and checks document that the coach and his wife, Karen, spent approximately $2,100 on the youth and district football programs. They also paid $1,270 in cash to stock the Taggart Stadium concession stand.
However, approximately $3,600 in ATM and bank withdrawals along with transfers from the youth football account took place in 2009. While no receipts are provided, Bongivengo detailed the expenses in a letter to the district.
Minenok’s $120 reimbursement is one example.
Through a Right to Know request, the New Castle News obtained Bongivengo’s financial information and correspondences with the city school district regarding the youth football program.
The Red Hurricane coach approached the school board March 12, 2008, with a request to oversee the city’s youth teams, featuring students in grades three through six.
“The first problem and concern we had was a lack of proper supervision and guidance — lack of quality coaches who have a kid-first mentality,” he said.
ULTIMATUM
Officials of the Tri-County Youth League reportedly told Bongivengo along with school board members Mark Kirkwood and Fred Mozzocio about their issues with the New Castle teams.
“(They) basically gave us an ultimatum saying that they would not allow us to play in the league any longer unless it was taken over by me.”
The board agreed to the move in a 9-0 vote. The district provided an initial investment of approximately $23,000 to purchase new equipment and to pay vendors owed money from the disbanded teams. Attorney Dallas Hartman helped to offset the district’s costs with a $10,000 contribution.
Bongivengo also requested that backers of the youth football program operate the Taggart Stadium concession stands. The district told Bongivengo he would have to split the use of the concession stand with the cheerleaders booster group.
The district budget funds the football program starting at the seventh-grade level. With game-day food sales, the youth football teams had their primary funding.
Bongivengo told the board he would also earmark a portion of the money for the upper grades.
During the first season, Bongivengo asked Kirkwood to assist with the finances. The school board member said he has been a youth football volunteer for approximately 30 years.
“He wanted me to help with the checkbook and that, since I had been around for so long,” Kirkwood said.
Working with Karen Bongivengo, he performed bookkeeping and made deposits from the concession stand sales. Kirkwood kept the funds in an account once used by the East Side Boosters.
Because the school district had purchased equipment for the youth teams, profits went into the bank.
“That’s why we had a surplus,” Kirkwood said.
In March 2009, he turned over approximately $9,600 to Bongivengo’s New Castle Football account.
ONE ACCOUNT
“He wanted one account instead of two,” Kirkwood said. “That was fine. He and his wife, Karen, were going to do the books anyway.”
He threw out the receipts when the 2008 season ended. Kirkwood said he was not questioned in the past about the practice. He said he has bank statements for the previous seasons.
A three-man committee of Minenok, Wayne Ryan and Pat Cioppa oversaw the league the next season. Minenok assisted Karen Bongivengo with the finances.
“Whenever we would get money from concessions, Karen wanted to get things verified,” Minenok said. “She would call me over and sit down and count the money. We would count it, initial it and deposit it.
“It wasn’t computerized or anything like that. It was handwritten.”
The youth program brought in approximately $14,000 in revenue during 2009. A majority of the group’s purchases involved supplies for the concession stand and football equipment. Other expenses were for ambulance service, trophies and pizza parties.
On two occasions, funeral floral arrangements were purchased. One for New Castle sports announcer Harry Dattilo and another for the family of a football coach, whose mother had died.
One question mark involved $3,146 spent on 12 airline tickets for Frank Bongivengo’s son and his friends. In an interview with The News earlier this month, Bongivengo said the tickets were paid on April 13, 2009, with the wrong debit card.
The mistake was realized the same day, he said. The money collected from the students for the trip, $2,470.70, was placed in the football account to cover the costs. The amount was paid in full on July 3, 2009, when the last of the students turned in their money.
TRANSFERS
That leaves the $3,600 in cash withdrawals and transfers that lack documentation. The 14 items range from $40 for party supplied for a youth football party to $2,250 in reimbursements through online transfers.
In a letter to the school district, Bongivengo said he made the transfer to reimburse himself for “expenses I incurred during the 2008 Pop Warner season as well as personal money spent in April and May 2009 for food, weightlifting, (college) recruiting expenses, printer for stadium, cables, ink.”
The coach said he withdrew $400 to provide change for the concession stand and took out $200 for the Pitt Football Passing Camp. Bongivengo also noted that he paid $62 for a graduating senior to take a college entrance exam.
The Bongivengos spent $2,100 of their own money at the beginning of 2010 on the youth football program. The money was used for “picture footballs,” programs and program design costs.
“We just want to run the program,” Minenok said. “We want to get the kids playing football.
“(Bongivengo) has all these different programs to worry about than just Pop Warner.”
Thursday, July 8, 2010
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.)
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.)
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