Bellas, Emanski plead guilty

County corruption probe Ex-county official, business owner involved in bribe-related activities

One man admitted to giving a bribe, and the other acknowledged receiving one.

Former Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority Director Allen Bellas and area business owner Richard Emanski both pleaded guilty in federal court in Scranton Tuesday on unrelated charges connected to the ongoing corruption probe.

Bellas, 60, of Kingston, pleaded to corrupt receipt of a reward for official action. Emanski, 66, of Harveys Lake, pleaded to corrupt payment of a reward for official action.

Bellas acknowledged that he accepted $2,000 from a construction contractor in 2008 in exchange for helping the contractor secure approval of a program that funds some development costs.

This Tax Incremental Financing program, commonly known as a TIF, uses property tax revenue from new construction to pay for infrastructure improvements needed to develop the site. As authority director, Bellas marketed TIF projects to both the authority board and taxing bodies.

The charges said the TIF in question was approved in late 2007. The charges don’t identify the contractor, but several sources say it was for the Insignia Point Courtyards townhouse project in Jenkins Township.

Local developer Anthony Trombetta was involved in the Insignia Point project. He owns Intellacom, a computer and security system company that has been investigated by the FBI in recent months in connection with its school district contracts.

Trombetta has not responded to numerous requests for comments, and the phone at Intellacom has been disconnected.

As required by the plea agreement, Bellas has resigned from the redevelopment authority and his seat on the Wyoming Valley West School Board. He told U.S. District Judge Thomas I. Vanaskie that he is not currently employed.

Sentencing guidelines call for a sentence of four to 10 months, but a judge could sentence Bellas up to the maximum, which is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Bellas spoke softly during the court proceeding and declined comment to the media. His wife, Nancy, who unsuccessfully ran for county prothonotary in November, offered words of support as he waited for the hearing to begin. His attorney, Joseph Nocito, declined comment, other than to make the distinction that Bellas’ payment should be described as an after-the-fact “gratuity,” as opposed to a bribe.

Emanski admitted that he supplied and installed free carpeting in the home of a Wilkes-Barre Area School Board member between Nov. 1, 2004 and Jan. 1, 2005 in exchange for a contract benefiting his business – Swoyersville-based King Glass & Paint.

The Wilkes-Barre Area School District paid the company $953,713 from August 2004 through April 2009, mostly for carpet installation, records show.

The federal charges did not name the school board member, but details contained in the charges against Emanski point to former board member Jim Height as the one who received the free carpeting. Height has agreed to plead guilty to accepting a bribe in exchange for influencing the awarding of a contract.

The charges against Emanski said the board member who received the free carpeting had been charged earlier in the year by the U.S. Attorney through a type of complaint called a “criminal information.”

Board members Brian Dunn and Frank Pizzella were also charged, but Pizzella was not on the board during the relevant time period. Dunn was not charged through a criminal information until after the charges had been filed against Emanski.

Sentencing guidelines call for eight to 14 months in prison for Emanski, though the maximum is up to 10 years and a $250,000 fine.

Emanski kept his eyes down as he left the courtroom and wouldn’t speak to reporters. His attorney, Carl Poveromo, said he has no comment at this time.

Both Emanski and Bellas were released on their own recognizance until sentencing.

Vanaskie ordered the probation department to complete their pre-sentence reports by March 16 and tentatively scheduled their sentencing for the week of April 19.

In addition to the sentence, the men will lose their rights to possess a firearm, vote, hold public office and serve on a jury, Vanaskie said.

Bellas’ plea agreement contains a provision requiring him to provide “substantial assistance” and cooperation by providing information concerning the “unlawful activity of others.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Phillips, the prosecutor, did not provide additional details about the cases in court and declined comment after the proceedings.