Stark County Chief Deputy Treasurer Charged with Theft

Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio and C. Frank Figliuzzi, Special Agent in Charge of the Cleveland Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a two-count information was filed charging former Stark County Chief Deputy Treasurer, Vincent J. Frustaci, age 38, of Canton, Ohio, with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, and one count of theft concerning an agency receiving federal funds in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 666.

The Information alleges that Frustaci, while Chief Deputy Treasurer for Stark County, altered and falsified the Stark County Treasurer’s financial records to cover up his theft of $2,464,989 from January 2003 through March 31, 2009.

“The charges allege Mr. Frustaci used his job for his own personal gain,” Dettelbach said. “He did not guard the taxpayer money he was entrusted with; instead, he took millions of dollars for his own use.”

The maximum potential penalty for conviction under these charges is 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any period of incarceration. The court may determine the actual sentence under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which depend upon a number of factors unique to each case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, his role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. The actual sentence may be less than the statutory maximum.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dean M. Valore and Special Assistant United States Attorney Chryssa N. Hartnett, following an investigation conducted by the Canton office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

An information is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.