Ill-gotten gains go on block

Ill-gotten gains go on block

By AMANDA SMITH-TEUTSCH Tribune Chronicle
Monday, January 15, 2007

NORTH LIMA — Everything an accused Howland embezzler bought with the proceeds — including the bathroom sink and commodes — will be up for sale by Basinger Auction this month.

Spread across two weekends — Jan. 13 and 20 — the items are being sold after they were forfeited as part of a plea agreement.

‘‘They’re ill-gotten gains,’’ said Mahoning County Prosecutor Paul Gains. ‘‘The proceeds will go to cover the cost of the investigation and the prosecution, but the majority will be returned to the victims.’’

Deborah Toda, 49, 201 Southwind Drive, Howland, is scheduled to enter a plea in the case Jan. 30.

She is facing felony charges of aggravated grand theft, forgery, money laundering and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity with forfeiture specifications. Police originally pegged the theft at somewhere around $1.6 million.

Toda was arrested June 16 when police served a warrant at the Howland home she shares with Paul Pollis, 40, who also faces charges of money laundering and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.

Toda remains in Mahoning County Jail; Pollis was released after posting bond.

The charges stem from allegations the pair stole money from a branch of the North Central Pennsylvania Dialysis Clinic in Boardman over a two-year period, beginning in 2004.

Boardman detective Greg Stepuk said Toda, who was the clinic’s bookkeeper, opened a bank account under the name of a legitimate vendor her employer had used, and then added herself as the sole signatory on the account. She would write deposit-only checks to the vendor, 53 in all dating from July 2004, and deposit them into the account. Then she would withdraw cash, Stepuk said.

The couple’s Howland home was searched in June after Toda’s arrest on theft charges. According to the search warrant, police removed the following items from the home: 13 cars — among them, three BMWs, a Jaguar and two Ford Mustangs — a red wallet containing 22 credit cards, a black mink coat, several pieces of jewelry and photographs of trips to Italy, Paris and London, along with numerous financial records.

Saturday, the first round of the items forfeited will be auctioned. The inventory list sounds like a high-end bridal gift registry — marble vanities and sinks, commodes, bathroom sinks, boxes of DVDs, electronics, CDs, and books; cookware, including 50 pizza pans and Dansk cookware; fancy china and crystal from Lenox, Haviland, Mikasa and Waterford; neon beer signs, collectible figurines, tools, exercise equipment and framed art.

Then, on Jan. 20, the big-ticket items will be sold:

√ A 2006 Jeep Wrangler Sport 4x4, with 6,388 miles;

√ A 2004 Honda Rune motorcycle with 25 miles;

√ A 2004 Ford Mustang Mach 1, 40th Anniversary Edition, with 12,790 miles;

√ Jewelry including Rolex watches and a 5.12 carat diamond ring, with white and blue diamonds, appraised at $90,000;

√ Fur and leather coats;

√ Designer clothing and purses.

The auctions will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday and Jan. 20, at the Basinger auction center located at 100 Eastgate Drive in North Lima.

Gains said this is the largest single-case forfeiture auction he’s ever seen.

‘‘This really is a big one,’’ he said.

ateutsch@tribune-chronicle.com

URL: http://www.tribunechronicle.com/News/articles.asp?articleID=13477
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