Sandy in PA
07-11-2008, 12:01 PM
This is big news here in PA, and it will be interesting to see if this has any effect on the general election, especially since these first 12 people indicted are not the last. The AG says there will be more to come. The charges could harm Democrats in legislative battles this fall. Here's the gist of it:
12 Democratic leaders in the PA State House in Harrisburg - 1 current legislator and 1 former legislator and 10 of their staffers, were indicted on criminal corruption charges yesterday by the state AG, Tom Corbett. The charges center around secret bonuses to legislative employees and using public funds to pay staffers to work on their campaign activities, a vacation, meals for friends and a no-show job for one staffer's girlfriend. Here's some excerpts:
Former Rep. Mike Veon, D-Beaver, is accused of directing illegal political campaigns and directing fundraising out of legislative offices in the Capitol.
Rep. Sean Ramaley, D-Allegheny, got a "no-work job" in Veon's office in 2004, allowing him to use Veon's office and staff for a fall campaign, Corbett said.
Mike Manzo, former chief of staff to House Majority Leader William DeWeese, D-Greene, created a taxpayer-funded job for a girlfriend that required little work, Corbett said.
The attorney general also said he is considering seeking reimbursement of bonuses paid to legislative staffers as part of a way to make state taxpayers whole.
At the heart of the cases filed Thursday were a secret bonus program launched in 2004 by Veon, then-House Democratic whip, and Manzo. The program was used at first to reward, and ultimately to recruit, volunteers for House races targeted by Democrats.
Compensating staffers for political work is legal if the political work was done outside of work hours and paid for out of campaign funds. It is illegal for legislative staffers to do campaign work on taxpayer time.
Scott Brubaker, the former staffing and administration director for the caucus who is accused of directing the bonus program, and his wife Jennifer Brubaker, the current director of the legislative research office who is charged with running an opposition research service out of the Capitol. They live in Camp Hill. Earl Mosley of Harrisburg, the former Harrisburg High School football coach who served as the caucus' personnel director until he was asked to resign last fall. In that position, he helped operate the bonus program. Manzo, charged with being a co-architect of the bonus program, and his wife, Rachel, who currently works as an aide to House Democratic Policy Chairman Todd Eachus, D-Luzerne, and is accused of doing campaign work on state time and helping track staffers' campaign work for the bonus program. They live in East Pennsboro Twp. Jeff Foreman of Harrisburg, who was Veon's chief of staff and is chief counsel to House Majority Whip Keith McCall, D-Carbon, is accused of doing campaign work and private legal work on the taxpayers' dime. Brett Cott of Harrisburg, a former top-level staffer to DeWeese and Veon who is charged with directing others and doing political work on state time. Stephen Keefer, the former director of information technology for House Democrats who is accused of producing campaign materials on state time and equipment. He lives in Fredericksburg, Lebanon County. Patrick Lavelle Jr. of Harrisburg, who is charged with running a fund-raising operation for Veon out of the Capitol.
The grand jury's probe also looked into the establishment of a Pittsburgh field office for the Allegheny County delegation office, which delegation chairman Rep. Dan Frankel's staffers said they knew nothing about. That was created for Angela Bertugli, 22, a legislative intern whom Manzo met in a Harrisburg bar and had a relationship that ran between 2004 and 2007, according to the presentment. Bertugli was given very few assignments and had nothing to do up to 70 percent of the time at her job, Corbett said.
The grand jury found that in a retrospective review, Bertugli concluded that "Manzo hired her because she was having sex with him," according to the presentment.
http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1215782704187090.xml&coll=1
4 turned themselves in today:
Veon, 51, of Harrisburg, who faces 59 counts, is accused of directing illegal political campaigns and directing fundraising out of legislative offices in the Capitol.
Cott, 36, of Harrisburg, former special assistant to the House Democratic leader, faces 38 counts including conflict of interest, unlawful taking or disposition, theft of services, theft by deception, failure to make required disposition of funds and conspiracy to commit conflict of interest and/or theft by unlawful taking.
Keefer, 38, of Fredericksburg, is the Democrats' former information technology director. He is charged with 16 counts that include conflict of interest, theft by unlawful taking or disposition, theft of services, theft by deception, theft by failure to make required disposition of funds, conspiracy to commit conflict of interest and/or theft by unlawful taking.
Jeff Foreman, 57, of Harrisburg, chief counsel to House Democratic Whip Keith McCall, was arraigned Thursday. His bail also was set at $50,000. Former chief of staff for Veon, Foreman faces 24 counts including conflict of interest, theft by unlawful taking or disposition, thefts of services, theft by deception, theft by failure to make required disposition of funds and conspiracy to commit conflict of interest and/or theft by unlawful taking.
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2008/07/3_bonusgaterelated_people_turn.html
12 Democratic leaders in the PA State House in Harrisburg - 1 current legislator and 1 former legislator and 10 of their staffers, were indicted on criminal corruption charges yesterday by the state AG, Tom Corbett. The charges center around secret bonuses to legislative employees and using public funds to pay staffers to work on their campaign activities, a vacation, meals for friends and a no-show job for one staffer's girlfriend. Here's some excerpts:
Former Rep. Mike Veon, D-Beaver, is accused of directing illegal political campaigns and directing fundraising out of legislative offices in the Capitol.
Rep. Sean Ramaley, D-Allegheny, got a "no-work job" in Veon's office in 2004, allowing him to use Veon's office and staff for a fall campaign, Corbett said.
Mike Manzo, former chief of staff to House Majority Leader William DeWeese, D-Greene, created a taxpayer-funded job for a girlfriend that required little work, Corbett said.
The attorney general also said he is considering seeking reimbursement of bonuses paid to legislative staffers as part of a way to make state taxpayers whole.
At the heart of the cases filed Thursday were a secret bonus program launched in 2004 by Veon, then-House Democratic whip, and Manzo. The program was used at first to reward, and ultimately to recruit, volunteers for House races targeted by Democrats.
Compensating staffers for political work is legal if the political work was done outside of work hours and paid for out of campaign funds. It is illegal for legislative staffers to do campaign work on taxpayer time.
Scott Brubaker, the former staffing and administration director for the caucus who is accused of directing the bonus program, and his wife Jennifer Brubaker, the current director of the legislative research office who is charged with running an opposition research service out of the Capitol. They live in Camp Hill. Earl Mosley of Harrisburg, the former Harrisburg High School football coach who served as the caucus' personnel director until he was asked to resign last fall. In that position, he helped operate the bonus program. Manzo, charged with being a co-architect of the bonus program, and his wife, Rachel, who currently works as an aide to House Democratic Policy Chairman Todd Eachus, D-Luzerne, and is accused of doing campaign work on state time and helping track staffers' campaign work for the bonus program. They live in East Pennsboro Twp. Jeff Foreman of Harrisburg, who was Veon's chief of staff and is chief counsel to House Majority Whip Keith McCall, D-Carbon, is accused of doing campaign work and private legal work on the taxpayers' dime. Brett Cott of Harrisburg, a former top-level staffer to DeWeese and Veon who is charged with directing others and doing political work on state time. Stephen Keefer, the former director of information technology for House Democrats who is accused of producing campaign materials on state time and equipment. He lives in Fredericksburg, Lebanon County. Patrick Lavelle Jr. of Harrisburg, who is charged with running a fund-raising operation for Veon out of the Capitol.
The grand jury's probe also looked into the establishment of a Pittsburgh field office for the Allegheny County delegation office, which delegation chairman Rep. Dan Frankel's staffers said they knew nothing about. That was created for Angela Bertugli, 22, a legislative intern whom Manzo met in a Harrisburg bar and had a relationship that ran between 2004 and 2007, according to the presentment. Bertugli was given very few assignments and had nothing to do up to 70 percent of the time at her job, Corbett said.
The grand jury found that in a retrospective review, Bertugli concluded that "Manzo hired her because she was having sex with him," according to the presentment.
http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1215782704187090.xml&coll=1
4 turned themselves in today:
Veon, 51, of Harrisburg, who faces 59 counts, is accused of directing illegal political campaigns and directing fundraising out of legislative offices in the Capitol.
Cott, 36, of Harrisburg, former special assistant to the House Democratic leader, faces 38 counts including conflict of interest, unlawful taking or disposition, theft of services, theft by deception, failure to make required disposition of funds and conspiracy to commit conflict of interest and/or theft by unlawful taking.
Keefer, 38, of Fredericksburg, is the Democrats' former information technology director. He is charged with 16 counts that include conflict of interest, theft by unlawful taking or disposition, theft of services, theft by deception, theft by failure to make required disposition of funds, conspiracy to commit conflict of interest and/or theft by unlawful taking.
Jeff Foreman, 57, of Harrisburg, chief counsel to House Democratic Whip Keith McCall, was arraigned Thursday. His bail also was set at $50,000. Former chief of staff for Veon, Foreman faces 24 counts including conflict of interest, theft by unlawful taking or disposition, thefts of services, theft by deception, theft by failure to make required disposition of funds and conspiracy to commit conflict of interest and/or theft by unlawful taking.
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2008/07/3_bonusgaterelated_people_turn.html