Luzerne County Government

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
Jennifer Learn-Andes on Facebook   |   @TLJenLearnAndes on Twitter

Luzerne County Prothonotary Carolee Medico Olenginski said Friday that she was the one who contacted the U.S. Secret Service to request an investigation of nearly $1 million spent on an outside records consultant.

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The Secret Service confirmed Wednesday that it is “aggressively investigating” the payments, working closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Medico Olenginski said a former county employee had advised her to check into the spending of the fund shortly before she took office in January, indicating that the expenses uncovered will “blow your mind.”

When she discovered that Wayne, Pa..-based LRW Solutions Group was paid at least $970,800 since 2005, Medico Olenginski said she started publicly raising concerns and advised county Controller Walter Griffith to flag the company’s payments. Griffith has refused to release more money to the company, citing issues with the contract and authorization.

The prothonotary and her deputy started breaking down the invoices, finding payments for construction and other work that were never publicly authorized or bid out as required.

Medico Olenginski loudly expressed her concerns about the payments at a Jan. 27 records improvement committee meeting – the first public committee meeting in years.

However, fellow committee members Reilly, Commissioner Maryanne Petrilla and acting Sheriff Charles Guarnieri voted to continue paying LRW, also known as Little Red Wagon, to complete more work. Deputy Treasurer Dominick DePolo, representing Treasurer Michael Morreale, also voted in favor of continuing.

Committee member Dottie Stankovic, the county’s register of wills, abstained, and Medico Olenginski voted no. Minority Commissioner Stephen A. Urban attended the meetings and criticized the payments to LRW, but only Petrilla was invited to cast a vote. State law says all three commissioners are supposed to serve on the committee.

“Why did they not back me and attempt to get all these expenses researched, with all the money involved?” Medico Olenginski said. “They were cautioned that there may be a serious problem, and they totally ignored me.”

Petrilla and DePolo could not be reached for comment on the subject Friday afternoon.

Guarnieri said he is still researching the matter because he was invited to attend only one records committee meeting since he became acting sheriff on Sept. 1.

Reilly, the committee chairman, has said he stopped scheduling committee meetings because other members weren’t interested in participating – a claim vehemently denied by Stankovic. Officials in several other counties say their committees meet regularly and approve all expenditures of the record improvement fund, which is built from a fee on recorded property deeds.

Guarnieri said he believes the committee should hold more meetings, and he said he would be an active participant.

Medico Olenginski said she turned to federal authorities because of the lack of interest from committee members.

She said she spent an entire weekend organizing records for the Secret Service and continues to push for back-up receipts and other documentation from LRW. The company was paid $734,810 for professional consulting services and $38,700 for mileage, tolls, meals and parking, but there were no meal receipts or parking garage stubs attached to the invoices, she said.

“I’m so glad that now the Secret Service is involved because we will get answers,” she said.