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THREE OHIO CITIZENS SENTENCED FOR BRIBERY, TAX EVASION IN PERMIT SCHEME

Release Date: 03/16/2001
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FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2001
THREE OHIO CITIZENS SENTENCED FOR BRIBERY,
TAX EVASION IN PERMIT SCHEME

Luke C. Hester 202-564-7818 / hester.luke@epa.gov


A Steubenville, Ohio area man and his son, Patsy and Ronald DeLuca, were sentenced on March 7, and Vincent Zumpano on March 8, for bribery and tax evasion in a landfill permit scheme. Patsy DeLuca and Vincent Zumpano accepted unlawful gratuities to influence decisions of the North Ohio Valley Air Authority. In Oct. 1999, all three men pleaded guilty to violating the unlawful gratuity statute and conspiring to deceive the Internal Revenue Service on their tax returns. The charges were the result of unlawful gratuities of $169,750 paid by Robert Vukelic to Patsy DeLuca, Vincent Zumano, and Richard Canestraro through Ronald Deluca. The gratuities were paid to influence the issuance of environmental permits for the Pine Hollow Landfill near Steubenville, owned by Vukelic. Zumpano was sentenced to fifteen months in prison and an $8,000 fine; Patsy DeLuca to four months in prison, four months home confinement and a $10,000 fine; and Ronald DeLuca to six months home confinement and a $10,000 fine. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service and was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Columbus.

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