Embattled Wilkes-Barre city towing operator Leo A. Glodzik III was arraigned this morning on one count of felony theft in connection with a January FBI investigation.
Glodzik was attempting to secure a towing contract at the time from the Safe Streets Task Force, a joint state and federal crime fighting program.
FBI agents left $2,100 inside a vehicle that Glodzik towed. Glodzik took the money and conspired to split it with an undercover FBI investigator, Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce said.
Prosecutors refused further comment on the case.
Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton has scheduled a 12:30 p.m. press conference.
Glodzik, 42, was arraigned this afternoon before Magisterial District Judge Rick Cronauer in Wilkes-Barre. Glodzik arrived with his attorney, Joseph F. Sklarosky Sr.
The charges arrive three months after the city received a federal subpoena from an FBI agent seeking police records related to LAG Towing. The subpoena, delivered on Feb. 6, capped months of controversy surrounding the company, which has paid $50,050 for the city's exclusive towing rights since 2005.
In January, City Council advised Mayor Tom Leighton to sever ties with LAG Towing after an 82-year-old resident accused Glodzik of trying to charge $2,000 to retrieve her stolen car -- a violation of his contract. At the time, the accusation was the most recent of a string of complaints customers made against Glodzik's billing practices.
Leighton, who has the sole power to terminate the contract, responded by pledging to investigate the company. The city has received more than 30 complaints since then, but Leighton refuses to reveal any findings or say when he'll make a decision regarding the contract. Leighton has said the investigation is still on going.
Other controversies marred Glodzik in the past, including a 2010 resisting arrest conviction and last summer’s revelation that he failed to keep records for much of his tenure with the city. Council and residents have also criticized him for being too cozy with police and city officials. Glodzik has donated more than $10,000 to Leighton’s campaign, and last month he admitted to loaning luxury vehicles to police officers. Although the police department has a policy banning gifts, Leighton and police Chief Gerard Dessoye said Glodzik nor the officers violated any rules.