Club Owner Corruption Probe

A Wilkes-Barre, Pa., restaurant and nightclub owner has been charged in a federal corruption probe for allegedly failing to report illegal payments made to an elected official.

While Thom Greco currently operates a restaurant and The Mines nightclub in the city, his past projects have included the Bud Light Amphitheatre at Harveys Lake, and Sneakers and Banana Joe’s nightclubs, according to the local Times Leader.

Court documents show that Greco knew that an elected official had solicited and accepted a bribe in exchange for official action, although Greco’s exact involvement in the case is unclear.

Officials reportedly close to the matter told the paper Greco was involved in a public project to redevelop and repurpose the city’s historic Market Street Square train station, which he previously owned.

The county Redevelopment Authority purchased the station from Greco in 2006, but the building sat vacant after the city ran out of funds to renovate the complex. The executive director of the Redevelopment Authority was later charged with accepting a bribe in a corruption probe.

“If somebody shook Thom Greco down, he should have reported it to authorities,” County Commissioner Stephen Urban told the Times Leader. “If any businessman is shaken down or attempted to be shaken down by an elected official, they ought to report it to the FBI. That’s the only way it’s going to stop.”

Greco could face three years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine, the paper said.