Eleanor Wall Region’s 2nd Town Supervisor
Charged With Corruption
Spouse Donald Wall Also Faces Charges
MILFORD — It’s not too often that a township supervisor in Pennsylvania is charged with felonies, but in the last six months two in this region endured this ignominy, including Shohola Township Supervisor Eleanor Nelia Wall.
During this period, Wall’s husband, former Shohola Township Zoning Officer Donald Wall, was also charged with multiple felonies.
In August, Middle Smithfield Township (Monroe County) Supervisor Robert Spano was arrested during a township meeting for an alleged conflict of interest related to his vote on a conditional-use permit application to allow a strip club to be sited on a property he allegedly owned.
In November, Spano was also indicted in an unrelated issue by a federal grand jury for allegedly violating federal law regarding his township health-care plan.
Meanwhile, last Wednesday, the Walls appeared at a Preliminary Arraignment and were charged with felonies and misdemeanors for alleged conflict of interest, extortion, and theft occurring from 2006 to 2009 at a time when the Walls were township employees.
The complaint stemmed from a Grand Jury convened by District Attorney Ray Tonkin in 2009 to investigate three unrelated matters, an unsolved murder, a drug-dealing case, and the Walls’ alleged misdeeds in Shohola Township.
The Walls were not arrested because they voluntarily presented themselves to the Bureau accompanied by their Wilkes-Barre attorney, Andrew Bigda of Rosenn Jenkins & Greenwald, L.L.P of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
Subsequently, Nelia elected to have Bidga represent her; Don Wall elected to have D. Benjamin VanSteenburgh (Pike County Public Defender, who also has a private practice) represent him as a private attorney.
In the Affidavit of Probable Cause for the Don Wall case, the following was included:
In August of 2009, attorney Eric Hamill of Shohola went to Tonkin and presented his allegations that Don Wall committed ethics violations in Shohola.
Tonkin followed up the complaint and convened the First Pike County Investigating Grand Jury.
He authorized the Bureau to research whether Pennsylvania Crimes Code and Pennsylvania Public Official and Employees Act violations might have occurred.
The Jury, after hearing testimonies, submitted recommendations by five Presentments, each tied to one or more Pennsylvania criminal-statute violations.
The Jury submitted three Statement of Financial Interest forms filed by Nelia Wall, one for each year from 2006 through 2009, and forms filed by Don Wall from 2006 through 2008.
The statements showed that each Wall had a financial interest in TLC Excavation and Landscaping.
The Jury noted that since the township had at least one assistant-zoning person on staff during the time when Don Wall was zoning officer, the Walls could have recused themselves from potential conflict-of-interest situations.
The Jury submitted testimonies of residents regarding their alleged experience with the Walls.
Hamill, who represented Walker Lake Community Association, alleged that he was approached by Wall during an association meeting and Wall asked Hamill’s help to get Wall a winter maintenance contract for TLC, while Wall allegedly spoke about Hamill as a potential township solicitor candidate.
Township Secretary/Treasurer Diana Blume testified that she found a TLC invoice in resident Terry Toldorf’s folder in the township zoning permit files. The invoice was allegedly for $1,000 in consulting fees for Wall’s help in lot selection and “ease of permitting.”
Also testifying about the Wall’s potential conflict of interest were partners in a local business Deena Slain and Ed Loeschorn (two principals in he Windy Dog Restaurant).
While applying at the township building for a driveway permit, Slain alleged that Nelia Wall pitched her husband to do the driveway job. The Jury reviewed the TLC proposal and the $4,900 invoice from TLC after the job was completed.
Loeschorn testified that he asked Wall’s advice as zoning officer about fence holes on the same property. He hired Wall and paid TLC $500 for digging the holes and $4,900 for the completed driveway job. Wall allegedly gave Slain and Loeschorn a copy of a Shohola Certificate of Compliance and Certificate of Use for the fence-hole digging.
Shohola resident Patrick McCarthy testified that he came to the township building to clarify a setback/isolation issue regarding a septic system on his client’s property.
McCarthy said that he planned to use a contractor who excavated the lot to do the septic excavation. However, when he met with Nelia Wall at the township building, McCarthy said she suggested he use TLC to do the work if McCarthy wanted to pass township inspection... for complete story, get this week's issue.