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Ex-employee must serve jail sentence
(by Sue Reid - November 03, 2011)
Ex-employee must serve jail sentence
By SUE REID
Former Solon employee Dominic Bisesi will serve jail time and pay restitution as part of a sentence handed down last week in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas.
Following the release of a special state audit last year, he was connected to a road-work scam in which the city was swindled out of $2.4 million.
Mr. Bisesi, 47, of Auburn Township, who pled guilty last month to theft in office and filing false tax returns, was sentenced by Judge David Matia to 14 days in the Cuyahoga County Jail. He also must pay restitution to the city in the amount of $84,000.
He also received five years probation and had to pay court costs. As part of the sentencing, the judge said, if Mr. Bisesi would pay the restitution within a year, he may consider terminating the probation.
Mr. Bisesi, who resigned from his position as construction supervisor in 2008 when the audit began, approved bills that came into question when it was discovered the city was overcharged following the Cochran Road repaving project.
According to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, contracts were steered to certain companies in exchange for approximately $80,000 in cash.
A special audit was requested by the city in 2007, when complaints arose associated with the quality of the work. It found that the city was overcharged by $2.4 million by contractors Midwest Paving, Chaney Cement Contractors Inc. and MGL Enterprises Inc.
Mayor Susan A. Drucker said Monday that the "plea bargain is totally in the hands of the county prosecutor, and the city of Solon continues to cooperate with them in every way." She said she will give a full comment upon completion of prosecution of all parties involved."
There are other co-defendants in the case of the state of Ohio v. Dominic Bisesi, and their sentencing is expected to be handed down next month. A civil case titled the City of Solon v. Chaney Cement Contractors Inc. was removed from the court's active docket in April and will return only upon motion following the conclusion of the parallel criminal case.
"We will continue to work with the county," Mrs. Drucker said. "My goal is to bring justice to the city of Solon for what was done."
Following the special audit, the city began putting additional checks and balances in place and stronger accountability methods. Workloads were reorganized and an entire construction division with added personnel was created, Mrs. Drucker said.
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