August 21, 2014

Five Charged with Fraud in Wilkes-Barre City Employees Federal Credit Union Investigation

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a Grand Jury in Scranton returned indictments Tuesday charging five members of the Wilkes-Barre City Employees Federal Credit Union with conspiracy and bank fraud. The indictments were sealed pending the arrests and/or voluntary surrender of the defendants today.

According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Tino Ninotti, age 35, Jason Anthony, age 34, Leo Glodzik, age 43, Amanda Magda, age 30, and Jeffrey Serafin, age 35, were charged in three separate indictments related to activities of the credit union. Glodzik is also charged with tampering with a witness. Magda was the assistant manager at the Credit Union; Jason Anthony is a Wilkes-Barre City Police Officer; Ninotti is a former Wilkes-Barre City Police officer; Glodzik is a contractor whose company had a towing contract with the City of Wilkes-Barre.

Four of the defendants appeared today before Magistrate Judge Karoline Mehalchick in federal court in Wilkes-Barre. Ninotti, Anthony and Glodzik were released from custody and ordered to report to pretrial services. Glodzik was ordered to surrender his passport. Serafin was released on his own recognizance. The hearing for Magda is expected to take place later today.

The indictments, unsealed today, allege that the defendants, during 2014, individually or by aiding and abetting one another, secured loans from the Credit Union by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, including the use of false collateral, the stolen identities of others who were not aware of loans in their names, and forgery. Magda and Anthony are charged in one indictment; Ninotti, Glodzik and Magda in a second indictment; and Serafin alone in the third indictment.

If convicted, the defendants face up to 30 years in prison and fines in the amount of $1,000,000.

According to the U.S. Attorney the charges are a significant step in an ongoing corruption investigation by the FBI. The case represents the pursuit of allegations against individuals; the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office value the close working relationships they have with local police departments, including Wilkes-Barre’s, and with honest police officers. These relationships will continue.

The prosecution is the result of a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) which plays an integral role in investigations of fraud and public corruption. Prosecution is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Olshefski.

Luzerne County citizens, as well as employees and officials of local government are urged to come forward and provide relevant information about this case and others involving corruption in local government by contacting the Scranton FBI Office at 570-344-2404.

Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

A sentence following a finding of guilty is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.