YOUNGSTOWN — Attorney Dave Betras, who served as special prosecutor in a criminal case involving former Mahoning County Commissioner Frank Lordi, said he withdrew his objection to expunging Lordi’s criminal record because of Lordi being very ill.

Visiting Judge Mark Wiest signed a judgment entry Jan. 23 approving the expungement, saying Betras initially opposed the expungement but later withdrew the objection, and the judge found that Lordi qualified for having his record sealed.

The entry states that more than 10 years have passed since Lordi qualified for the expungement, “and the court is satisfied that there are no other objections” to the expungement.

Therefore, all official records of Lordi’s four convictions are expunged, the ruling states. “Said records shall not be inspected or divulged to any person except in accordance with Ohio and federal law,” the ruling states.

When Betras was asked about changing his position on the expungement, he said a member of Lordi’s family reached out to Betras to tell him about health issues Lordi has. Lordi also is a military veteran, and “I could find it in my heart to come off of my position.”

“After all these years, I realized time heals all wounds,” Betras said. He noted that Lordi “accused me of some pretty horrific things,” but Betras said he has forgiven him.

Lordi, 77, requested in October expungement of his criminal record of felonies of theft in office and unlawful interest in a public contract and two misdemeanors of conflict of interest.

Wiest, from Wayne County, sentenced Lordi to 18 months in prison in 1999, and Wiest was scheduled to preside over a hearing earlier this month regarding the request in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

But the hearing was canceled, and Betras said the reason was because he withdrew his objections to the expungement. Betras, who also was assigned to handle the expungement, filed written opposition to the expungement in October, stating that Lordi “used his position and influence as a Mahoning County commissioner as an invitation to commit the offenses in which he was convicted. As an elected official, (Lordi) was entrusted by the public and betrayed the public trust,” Betras stated.

“Conduct by an elected official shall be held to a higher standard. Moreover, (Lordi) has never taken responsibility for his actions,” the filing stated.

The convictions resulted from Lordi’s time as county commissioner and owner of ABC Fire Extinguisher Co., which he bought in 1997 or 1998. Lordi was a county commissioner from 1993 to 1996.

The charges resulted from his interactions with Mahoning County business people and officials starting in late 1994 or early 1995 regarding them doing business with ABC Fire Extinguisher, according to court documents.

In late 1994, William Kouvas, a local businessman, sought to construct a hotel in Mahoning County and received a $180,000 Community Development Block Grant loan administered by the county commissioners, according to a 2000 appeals court ruling in Lordi’s case.

In Lordi’s capacity as a county commissioner, he also voted in favor of a $100,000 loan from the Mahoning County Revolving Loan Fund for the project. Kouvas went to the Mahoning County commissioners office in late 1994 or early 1995 to make a presentation to the commissioners in support of his application for the CDBG loan, and Lordi was present.

After the presentation, Lordi told Kouvas “not to forget his brother for fire extinguishers,” the appeals court ruling states. Lordi’s brother, Ronald Lordi, was an employee of ABC.

“Kouvas felt that (Lordi) solicited him to purchase fire extinguishers from ABC,” the ruling states. Kouvas later bought fire extinguishers from ABC and other services beginning in December 1995.

The ruling also discussed another incident in June 1995 involving a visit of the county commissioners to meet with the Goshen Township trustees to talk about township roads and other matters.

Lordi spoke to the township clerk, Hilda Spack, about a fire extinguisher the township was using. Frank Lordi “told Spack that if the contract ever came up, he would like a chance to bid on it,” the ruling states.

Another incident involved Lordi’s role in a group called Democrats for Change, whose goal was to change the leadership in the Mahoning County Democratic Party.

Lordi directed two men who worked for the Mahoning County Building Inspection Department to “pick up petitions for Democrats for Change on county time and to do whatever the people on the committee asked them to do,” the ruling states.