The inside story of Herm Suplizio and DuBois

Real quick: In Herm Suplizio’s quest to make DuBois, Pa., a destination, state prosecutors allege that he lined his own pockets with hundreds of thousands of public and nonprofit dollars, Spotlight PA’s Min Xian and Angela Couloumbis report.

A little more: This is the city Herm Suplizio helped build.

As you enter from the east, a large sign is perched on an embankment covered with gray stone and a gentle waterfall. It towers over DuBois Avenue, and spells out D-U-B-O-I-S in bold, four-foot-tall white letters — the result of $2.3 million in federal, state, and city funding that Suplizio oversaw.

The small city about 100 miles northeast from Pittsburgh is home to three first-rate ball fields, each molded according to Suplizio’s dream to be a destination for youth and collegiate sports. He oversaw their development, and found the money to pay for them.

On the north end of town, Suplizio upgraded the Tannery Dam area, a serene and beloved local fishing spot, by adding lighting, restrooms, and a sidewalk. The money came via the state with help from former Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati — a “true friend” of DuBois, Suplizio has said.

This small city of about 7,400 people is in many ways an aberration. As many others like it across Pennsylvania have struggled to attract residents and investment, attention from Harrisburg, and coveted redevelopment dollars, DuBois — led by its city manager, Suplizio — has excelled.

As one of his supporters put it, he’s made DuBois “one of the richest little cities in all of Pennsylvania.”

But a massive corruption case brought against him by the state Office of Attorney General alleges Suplizio, too, was getting rich off DuBois’ success. Authorities allege he shrewdly used his power, network of political connections, and control over local organizations and charities to line his own pockets for almost a decade.

In all, they allege Suplizio stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in public and nonprofit funds. And the investigation appears to be expanding. Spotlight PA has learned that at least one current city official received a subpoena late last month to testify before a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh — while another employee was interviewed by the FBI — a sign that DuBois’ time under a microscope is far from over.

Suplizio has been suspended from his city job with pay since the charges were announced. He and his lawyers have said little publicly about the case, and have denied multiple requests for an interview for this story. He’s signaled to supporters that it’s all a big misunderstanding over what amounts to bad bookkeeping, and his allies on the City Council, along with the city’s solicitor, have circled the wagons around him.

For the past seven months, Spotlight PA has crisscrossed the city to speak with more than two dozen residents, elected officials, local business owners, community organizers, and nonprofit organizations. The newsroom filed a half dozen public records requests seeking a wide range of financial records — including city budgets, audits, legal bills, contracts, and bonus history — and attended city meetings and court hearings about Suplizio’s case.

The charges have led to uncomfortable questions about Suplizio’s time as city manager. Do his achievements stand on their own, or were they only borne out of entrenched corruption? If so, how could such crimes have gone unnoticed for so long?

But the story that emerges is as much about Suplizio as it is about a deep-rooted sense that if good things are happening in a community — especially amid the adversity faced by other small cities and towns in Pennsylvania — why question them, even when there are red flags?

The full story: Read more here.