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PA: AG Corbett Says Bonusgate Investigation Will Continue
Last Updated on Monday, 6 July 2009 10:39 Written by rslcpol Monday, 6 July 2009 10:39
From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
Neither a state budget impasse nor his probable gubernatorial campaign could stop the Bonusgate scandal investigation, state Attorney General Tom Corbett said Thursday.
Corbett said he is bracing for lawmakers to cut up to $5 million from his office budget of roughly $110 million a year. He would not fill 22 vacancies among investigators, attorneys and other jobs, he said.
“At some point, yes, less money means less work that we can do,” he said after a news conference in Pittsburgh to announce a registry for home improvement contractors’ credentials.
One thing that wouldn’t be waylaid by budget cuts or Corbett’s political aspirations is the prosecution of those accused in the legislative political scandal, about which a grand jury continues to hear testimony. Corbett, a Shaler Republican, has said he anticipates more indictments, but he hasn’t said when.
Posted under Attorney General News | 1 Comment
PA Bonusgate – Records Show Recipients Gave to Political Campaigns
Last Updated on Monday, 27 April 2009 01:49 Written by rslcpol Monday, 27 April 2009 01:49
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
When Bill DeWeese was House Democratic leader in 2002, he gave his Harrisburg aides $1,000 or $2,000 bonuses.
Six of the recipients contributed identical or nearly identical amounts to Mr. DeWeese’s re-election and the House Democratic Campaign Committee that year or in 2003, records show.
Nine other recipients that year made lesser contributions to the two committees.
The bonuses and contributions came to light in the discovery phase of a criminal investigation into allegations that the House Democratic caucus used tax dollars to subsidize campaigns.
Two recipients of the 2002 bonuses told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that they did not recall being instructed or pressured to donate money to the campaign committees.
Posted under Dems Behaving Badly, State Legislature News | No Comments
PA: Democrats Sue their Bonusgate Consultant
Last Updated on Tuesday, 10 March 2009 09:40 Written by rslcpol Tuesday, 10 March 2009 09:40
From the Philadelphia Inquirer:
The House Democratic caucus yesterday sued the lawyer who had been helping it deal with a legislative corruption probe by the state attorney general.
Caucus officials said they sued William G. Chadwick and his Washington consulting firm to force him to turn over the client file that was generated by his work for them.
A copy of the lawsuit, filed in Dauphin County Court, was not available after business hours yesterday.
Posted under Dems Behaving Badly, State Legislature News | No Comments
PA: More Bonusgate Arrests Unlikely Before 2009
Last Updated on Friday, 7 November 2008 11:33 Written by rslcpol Friday, 7 November 2008 11:33
From Morning Call:
Attorney General Tom Corbett said Thursday he does not anticipate additional arrests in the legislative corruption investigation before year’s end, but reiterated that more charges are likely.
Corbett cautioned that the timing of new charges could be speeded up as investigators continue looking into the alleged illegal use of public employees and tax dollars for campaign purposes.
”I am briefed every day, and I would say at least once a week I get a surprise,” Corbett told reporters at a Harrisburg news conference to outline his second-term agenda.
Posted under Attorney General News, Dems Behaving Badly, State Legislature News | No Comments
PA Bonusgate Update: Dem Candidate “Didn’t Know”
Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 October 2008 10:42 Written by rslcpol Tuesday, 21 October 2008 10:42
From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
Dennis Rousseau, a Democratic candidate for state House and friend of ousted Rep. Mike Veon, said Monday he didn’t know he was on the board of a nonprofit linked to Veon.
Beaver County Community Service and Development, a loosely organized group founded in 2004, received $883,000 in state grants in fewer than three years, state records show.
“It was something I didn’t know I was on,” Rousseau said. “I was told I was on it and as soon as I found out, I got off (the board).” He said he resigned in 2007.
Posted under Dems Behaving Badly, State Legislature News | No Comments
PA: Two May Testify against Dems in Bonusgate
Last Updated on Wednesday, 8 October 2008 10:21 Written by rslcpol Wednesday, 8 October 2008 10:21
From the Morning Call:
Two defendants in the Bonusgate probe are cooperating with prosecutors and might take the stand when a preliminary hearing in the case resumes today, a lawyer for a Pennsylvania lawmaker charged in the case said Tuesday.
Philip Ignelzi, the attorney for state Rep. Sean Ramaley, said he didn’t know the identities of the two defendants. But he did say the lead prosecutor in the landmark public corruption case made the announcement during a private conference Tuesday with a Dauphin County judge and defense lawyers.
Ignelzi said prosecutor Anthony Krastek of Attorney General Tom Corbett’s office had ”just told us, on the record, that two of the witnesses Â? are presently defendants in the case, which they are meeting with tonight.”
Posted under Dems Behaving Badly, State Legislature News | No Comments
PA: Bonusgate Hearing Set for Tomorrow
Last Updated on Monday, 6 October 2008 10:23 Written by rslcpol Monday, 6 October 2008 10:23
From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:
Three investigators and dozens of former campaign operatives are on the witness list for a preliminary hearing tomorrow in a criminal case against 12 state House Democratic employees and elected officials accused in a corruption scandal.
In all, state prosecutors have summoned two dozen witnesses for the hearing that begins Tuesday at the Dauphin County Courthouse. Testimony is expected to last more than a week.
Defendants have the option of waiving the preliminary hearing, but so far only two of the 12 have done so. Mike Manzo, former chief of staff to House Majority leader Bill DeWeese, and his wife, Rachel, waived their hearings.
Posted under Attorney General News, Dems Behaving Badly | No Comments
PA: GOP AG Says No New Charges In Bonusgate Before Election
Last Updated on Tuesday, 23 September 2008 09:03 Written by rslcpol Tuesday, 23 September 2008 09:03
From Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
“I know this investigation very well. I know that my office cannot present the grand jury, in that one week, all of the testimony and other evidence that will be necessary to complete the next phase of the investigation,” Mr. Corbett told a luncheon meeting of The Pennsylvania Press Club in Harrisburg today.
Currently, sources close to the probe have said that Mr. Corbett’s office is focusing on potential wrongdoing surrounding a $1.8 million computer contract for the House Republican caucus as well as potential obstruction charges against Democratic caucus employees in connection with the destruction of records sought in a probe into taxpayer funded bonuses given for political work.
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PA: GOP AG Says Opponent Has No Idea What the AG is Doing in Bonusgate
Last Updated on Thursday, 28 August 2008 09:23 Written by rslcpol Thursday, 28 August 2008 09:23
From the Indiana Gazette:
Responding to Morganelli’s criticism, Corbett said it was “Very disappointing that a fellow prosecutor would say things where he has no knowledge, none, zero, on what we’re doing.”
Corbett refuted Morganelli’s comments with three points.
“No. 1, there is no independent prosecutor law in Pennsylvania anymore. That’s expired. So we couldn’t do that,” Corbett said.
“No 2, in order to get an independent prosecutor law, you’d have to get the Legislature to pass such a thing. What do you think the likelihood of that is right now? He hasn’t given thought to that.
“No. 3, the cost to go out and hire somebody else to do it would be fantastic because we’d have to hire other investigators. We’re already paying for my investigators,” Corbett said.
“What he’s saying is I don’t have the integrity to do it. Well I dispute that and I think the results of our continuing investigation will reflect that.
Posted under Attorney General News | No Comments
PA: Democrat Rants Some More – AG Candidate Complains about Bonusgate Handling
Last Updated on Wednesday, 24 September 2008 12:16 Written by rslcpol Tuesday, 26 August 2008 09:41
John Morganelli is quickly becoming the most embarrassing candidate running for state attorney general in any state. His press releases are so poorly vetted, that he’s getting schooled on the law and the practical implications of his manifestos by his opponent’s campaign staff. What happens after a things go from bad to worse? We think team Morganelli is about to show us. One last parting thought…for now…how is Morganelli going to respond when convictions are handed down in these cases? Is he going to call them bogus? The logic train that the Morganelli campaign train is running is about to run out of track. After giving it some thought we’ve decided that John Morganelli is less Northampton D.A. and more Northampton Fire Marshall (Bill – that is). From the Morning Call:
The Democratic nominee for state attorney general said Monday that an independent prosecutor should be appointed to take over the investigation of alleged corruption in the Legislature from Republican incumbent Tom Corbett.
John Morganelli, the Northampton County district attorney, said Corbett has a conflict of interest because of contributions he received for his 2004 campaign from Republican legislative leaders who were in power during the period that is being investigated.
Morganelli also questioned whether Corbett’s office adequately protected evidence in Republican hands while pursuing the first round of charges against House Democrats.
”This investigation has been botched from the beginning,” Morganelli told several dozen people at a Pennsylvania Press Club luncheon.
Posted under Attorney General News, Dems Behaving Badly | No Comments