On Friday, January 17, 2025, WKBN 27 First News reported that all judges in the Mahoning County Common Pleas Court have recused themselves from a legal dispute involving the City of Youngstown, developer Dominic Marchionda, and former finance director David Bozanich. The recusal was officially documented in the case docket, with the judges requesting that the Ohio Supreme Court appoint a visiting judge to oversee the matter.
The City of Youngstown has initiated a lawsuit against Marchionda, implicating Bozanich in claims for restitution of funds it alleges were improperly disbursed to Marchionda for his Erie Terminal and Flats at Wick projects. The city is seeking $834,608, deducting $100,000 already recovered from Bozanich’s insurance bond, along with additional costs and fees linked to funds believed to have been fraudulently allocated in a bribery scheme uncovered during a 2021 court case.
In response, Marchionda has filed a counter-lawsuit asserting that he is not liable for any payments to the city. Instead, he contends that the city owes him $1 million for a property he purchased, which he claims was valueless, alongside $1.2 million he invested in water improvements.
Both Marchionda and Bozanich have previously been convicted of offenses related to a scheme that diverted money from the city’s water fund to benefit Marchionda’s projects.
Source: WKBN 27 First News
