Home Buffalo Press Releases 2010 Former Mayor of Niagara Falls Pleads Guilty, Agrees to Serve Prison Term
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Former Mayor of Niagara Falls Pleads Guilty, Agrees to Serve Prison Term

U.S. Attorney’s Office September 02, 2010
  • Western District of New York (716) 843-5700

BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that former Niagara Falls Mayor Vincenzo Anello, 64, of Niagara Falls, New York, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny to a charge of submitting false information for the purpose of improperly collecting a pension from the local Electrical Union. The conviction will require Anello to serve a prison term of at least 10 months to 16 months, and pay up to $120,000 in restitution to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local No. 237 Pension Fund.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marie P. Grisanti and Paul J. Campana, who handled the case, said Anello, a former electrician and an electrical contractor, was in retirement status with Local 237 when his term as Mayor ended in late 2007. In 2008, Anello began performing electrical work for businessman Joseph Anderson. While the union permits retired members to work up to 40 hours per month, Anello’s work far exceeded that limit, and occasionally approached 40 hours per week. At the same time, Anello filed weekly transmittals to Local 237's welfare and pension fund falsely stating that he worked only enough hours to still receive his pension.

On one declaration, for example, Anello claimed he worked seven hours per week when in fact he worked 31 hours. The false reporting of his hours enabled Anello to continue to collect a $48,000 per year union pension for which he was not eligible.

In his plea agreement, Anello also admitted receiving $40,000 in secret payments from Anderson while Anello was running for mayor in 2003 and also shortly after the successful election. In 2004, an Anderson-owned company was awarded a lease for the City’s East Pedestrian Mall based upon Anello’s recommendation.

"One who holds a position of public trust must tell the truth. In this case, the defendant lied to his union brothers and defrauded a fund which serves those who no longer work,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. "Given the commitment of jail time and substantial restitution, this case should serve as a warning to any other public official in the future.”

Judge Skretny scheduled sentencing for December 20th, 2010, at 9:00 am.

The conviction was the result of investigations by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of James H. Robertson, Special Agent In Charge of the FBI's Buffalo Field Office, and the United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Marjorie Franzman, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Region.

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