30 and counting.
Thom Greco is famous for opening food and beverage businesses in Wilkes-Barre with much fanfare only to see the ventures fail shortly afterward. There have been so many I'm not even going to try to list them all.
His latest project is a pizza place at the site of the former Grogg Shop on the corner of N. Main and Union Streets that recently was Gage Restaurant. In the past it was Hacienda Restaurant, Heartbreaks, Harrigan's Irish Pub, Bazookas, Martini Ristorante and Bar, Aprilia's Restaurant and Nono's Restaurant and Bar.
He is presently operating Oysters in the Genetti Hotel and The Mines. Greco also owns residential and commercial rental properties and has been talking about building a fiber optic network using the steam heat pipes for years but that hasn't gone anywhere.
Now he has been snared in the Corruption Junction investigation signing another one of those very vaguely worded plea agreements.
TL: Court documents filed in federal court Thursday said Greco failed to report to authorities his knowledge that an elected official had solicited and accepted a gratuity in exchange for official action. ...Greco, 53, of Wilkes-Barre, had this information between April 2005 and December 2009, court papers say. The court papers do not identify the public official or provide any further details regarding the crime.
Disclosure: I actually worked for him for a short time at the Station nightclub and hotel complex that is now one of the biggest eyesores in Wilkes-Barre. I took the first job offer that came along to get out of that gig. But he came out of that alright when the Luzerne County Commissioners (Skrep, Vondy and Urban) bought that pile of junk but now don't have the money to clean it up. He was partners with the Kornfeld family of The Woodlands fame in that venture. When it went sour he sued them and actually had their cars seized and towed to settle his claims. Guess who towed the cars?
Didn't Greco have some kind of disco TV show on WNEP back in the late 70's?
ReplyDeleteForget all this other stuff...now THAT was a crime.
Wasn't Corbett doing his show from Oyster's a few years back? Hmmm connection or not?
ReplyDeleteWhen is the FBI finally going to investigate Steve Urban? He has been around for all of this corruption!
ReplyDeleteGort, I missed the significance of who towed the vehicles. Why would anyone know? So OK, I give, who was it?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous asshole, yah, investigate Steve Urban and his lavish lifestyle, taking bribes, doling out jobs to all his cronies. Why not start with his stellar military record. You jerk-off democrats have nothing else better to do.
ReplyDeleteI would say someyhing about Greco but he might so me
ReplyDeleteGreco sues everybody so be careful what you say because he might sue you
ReplyDeleteAnon 12:07 You have got to be kidding. Urban is the biggest waste that ever sat in a Commissioner's chair. While he was screaming to lay people off and fire people, he gave his executive secretary a huge raise. She makes more than the row officers. How about the big job he just gave out paying $80 grand? Urban should leave public office and when that's done, he should leave Wyoming Valley and you should be on the train with him. Stellar military career indeed. How many times was Stellar Urban passed over for promotion? O, keep it a secret. Who the hell cares anyway?
ReplyDeleteSteve Urban is the most deceitful con man ever to hit Luzerne County.
ReplyDelete9:18 & 9:57 Obviously a per diem Yudichak groopie from the Goose Island section of W-B. Yah, an Army Lt. Col.passed over for promotion??. Handled multi million $$ budgets with intelligence committees before Congress?? I hardly call that low grade. Your stupidity shows in that nothing gets by without the democrat controlled salary board that gave us Hyder, Guesto and all the other white trash thugs that we've had to endure. Haina ur no?
ReplyDeleteSince no one else took a guess, I'll say it was Bob Kadluboski that towed the vehicles. Was I right?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I agree with others of the anonymous ilk who think Steve Urban is a waste, but in his defense, he has always been a min- ority commissioner with very little power.
He is the poster boy for Home Rule.
It seems minding your own business is now against the law. All hail the power of the state.
ReplyDeleteAnon 10:12, it was not a case of minding your own business. Withholding information of a crime occurring is a crime. Would you rather the FBI not get more information in the corruption case?
ReplyDeleteHonestly Tony I don't care. The system is the problem not the people. We have council members living outside of the city's they are elected. We have political donations being diverted. Until we start to change the system, we will never change the problem. More people will get arrested and get some time. The U.S. Attorneys and the FBI agents will rack up their numbers and get their promotions and NOT one thing will change. That is the fact.
ReplyDeleteWilkes-Barre is a crime pit. Scranton is in debt out it's ass. A few people have made money on developments in both cities, but neither is any better today than 10 years ago. It is actually worse. Scranton is a little safer, but the roads suck, all the "development" is on the first floor of multiple story buildings, street gangs have infiltrated Scranton School. And Wilkes-Barre, what a dump. 4 flat tires this year on city streets. Crime? I wouldn't venture into down town WB after dark unless surrounded by body guards. The Mayor won't talk to the press.
Nothing will change. O wait one thing will. I will no longer reside in this God forsaken area.
While I have no use for Steve Urban and even less use for his son or wife, I am compelled to address the comment about Urban being passed over for promotion.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Luzerne County bio, Urban spent five years as an enlisted soldier, attaining the rank of Staff Sgt (advancing 6 pay grades in five years, not bad), then completed his degree and started at the bottom of the Officer ranks as a Second Lieutenant. Retiring as Lieutenant Colonel after 19 years in the Officer Corps is about right. Especially when you served in a highly specialized field that does not lend itself for room to advance.
Like I said, I have no use for Steve Urban, I find his lack of leadership at the County level to be disappointing, especially in light of his education and military experience. I feel he could have done much more in the way of making suggestion and bringing forth ideas. The only time he has appeared to work with others was when he wanted things for himself. The fact that he was a Minority Commissioner is no excuse.
I will vote YES for home rule for only one reason - Steve Urban. He must be removed from the courthouse!
ReplyDeleteAnon, do you have any suggestions or plans to help fix our problems? Or are you merely proficient in complaining? Anyone can talk about how bad NEPA is, but you are not part of the solution if you're only going to sit back and bitch.
ReplyDeleteTony, their is no solution to the problems of Luzerne County when it is controlled by liberal democrats. There is a very sick mental disorder and you are part of it.
ReplyDeleteI see so you're part of the lazy conservatives who do not want to think and be a part of action, they merely want others to solve their problems. You're lazy intellectually and that will do nothing. The solution is not to resort to bickering and think that there is a partisan solution. Our problem could have very well been caused by conservative Republicans. Corruption is caused by bad ethics, a lack of transparency, and when leaders feel that they are not accountable to people. The solution is to vote in better politicians. The ideal situation would be to get rid of political parties and have people run on ideas and character.
ReplyDeleteInsulting people over the internet and complaining is very easy to do, a young child is capable of that. But actually engaging in thought and action that takes a certain type of character.
Actually Tony, Nothing will change. The anon poster above didn't seem to be complaining he or she seemed to be making observations, very well founded observations.
ReplyDeletePeople have tried to change the system. Some have had their personal and professional lives ruined and others like a certain newly elected school board member have been co-opted by the system.
The poster was correct, it is the system.
The poster also had the best solution; when the chance arises; get out of NEPA. It has never nor will it ever changed.
If people buy into cynicism and pessimism then of course nothing will change. Leaving will cause nothing to change. Change requires action and a change of your state of mind. Change does not occur through the actions of an individual, but through a collective action. The system can change, it has been changed before. However nothing will change because of inaction and desertion.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who thinks that changing the system will somehow change the people are the same peoplel who don't vote thinking that not voting will cause some form of change. People not voting got us where we are. Vonderspend, Skrep, Petrilla, Urban, Medicao-Olengenski and Griffith. All represent change and all represent out of control egos. In fact, Griffth just asked for help doing his audits. Will sombody sugest that he quit now before it gets worse? All of the above represented change and look what we got! Change for the worse.
ReplyDeleteAfter 19 years, attaining the rank of Lt Col is nothing to brag about. He should have absolutely left as a full Bird but it seems that he ran into the Peter Prncipal and stopped be qualified at the rank of Major. During his years of service, rank was not hard to make. I would love to see Urban's Fitness Reports. If they are so good, why hasn't he made them public? My guess is fear of embarassment. Urban is always the guy to shut the gate after house has left the barn.
ReplyDeleteSteve Urban is a cancer that needs to be removed from the courthouse
ReplyDeleteYa know something Tony. You stay in this fucking wasteland. I agree with the other two. I am out of this place. The weather is awful most of the year. The people are just plain stupid. The corruption is without equal. The crime is getting worse. You want it you stay here. Personally I don't even go to Wilkes-Barre during the day, let alone at night. The place is filthy.
ReplyDeleteAre you the council man tony thomas? the one who kind of sort of lives in the city? just saw the following on the voice's web site, how many similar things go on in wb....
ReplyDeletehttp://citizensvoice.com/police-man-attacked-robbed-at-gunpoint-in-w-b-1.829206
Anon 12:46, did you see the papers over the weekend? someone get's thrown thru glass window. Mayor and city council are dropping the ball. Focusing on brining bars and only working on center city is going to be the destruction of wilkes-barre. watch the mini series New York a documentary. The stupid ass thinking of not taking care of neighborhoods led to the crime wave of the late 60's throug the 80s in nyc. Maybe if,if that is the council person vwho posts here ,would actually work on the city and get of the internets maybe something would be better
ReplyDeleteI hope this filthy cockroach is beaten & raped in prison...he is a pig.
ReplyDelete