Rostraver commissioner accepted to enter ARD program in harassment case

Rostraver Township Commissioner John J. Lorenzo was permitted to enter a probationary program Thursday and a judge ordered that his in-person participation in some board meetings be restricted.

The order was part of an agreement with the state Attorney General’s office, which prosecuted accusations that Lorenzo used fictitious Facebook accounts to harass political opponents and rivals.

The first-term Republican commissioner will spend two years in the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program.

“If there’s any violation of any of these terms, your ARD will get revoked … and you’ll have to defend at a jury trial or enter a guilty plea,” Judge Christopher Feliciani warned Lorenzo.

He was arrested in November after a yearlong investigation by township police and county detectives. They investigated complaints by four men, including two of his fellow commissioners. Police said in court papers that the men reported Facebook accounts were set up by an unknown person in their names. They also reported receiving harassing messages from an anonymous source.

Police said in court papers that the accounts and phone numbers were linked to Lorenzo, who was accused of using “burner phones” to mask his identity. He has continued to maintain his innocence and was not required to admit guilt to enter the program on charges of unlawful use of a computer, criminal use of a communication facility and harassment.

If he successfully completes it, he can petition to have his record expunged. He will have a lot of conditions to follow for the next two years.

Deputy Attorney General Heather Serrano said the agreement was “highly negotiated.”

Feliciani ordered that Lorenzo can attend commissioners public voting meetings in person. He must participate by phone or video conference in executive and work sessions.

Serrano said that is because those two sessions are typically with a much smaller group than voting meetings.

The four men who brought complaints to authorities sent a letter to the court this week objecting to Lorenzo’s admission into the program.

Feliciani noted the objections and said it was within Serrano’s discretion to offer Lorenzo participation in the program based on his background and lack of criminal history.

Lorenzo is not permitted to have contact with the four victims and cannot interact with or post about them on any social media platform. He is permitted to use social media on a personal basis and was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation. He was ordered to perform 40 hours of community service.

After being elected in 2019, Lorenzo switched his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican. His term expires in 2024.