Budget to Trim Attorney General's Office

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett says he’ll be forced to lay off 32 employees, if Governor Ed Rendell’s proposed budget for his department goes into effect.
Rendell’s budget would trim the Office of the Attorney General’s state spending by one percent, to 85 million dollars.
That’s nine million dollars below the department’s 08-09 budget. Nearly every line item, including the Child Predator Interception Unit, the Joint Local-State Firearm Task Force and Tobacco Law Enforcement, would see a slight reduction.
Appearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee to discuss the budget, Attorney General Tom Corbett argued his department is far from a money drain, when it comes to state revenue.

"We basically pay for ourselves with the money we bring in through consumer protection, the money we save in the civil lawsuits that we defend on behalf of the state of Pennsylvania, the money we get in from the antitrust actions and the multi-state actions. We bring in as much as we cost you."

Corbett says his department has 55 fewer staffers than when he became Attorney General.
Corbett is hoping to set next year’s budget himself – he’s the frontrunner in the Republican gubernatorial primary.

"PA Society" Gathered in NYC

The state’s political power players gathered in New York City over the weekend for an annual event. If you’re a Pennsylvania politician – or if you’re trying to win an election to join that club – then Pennsylvania Society is the place to be. It’s a tradition that dates back to 1899. Pennsylvania’s political scene migrates to the Waldorf-Astoria in Manhattan for a weekend of parties packed with schmoozing, black ties, cocktails and gossip. Nearly every gubernatorial candidate held a reception, and there was an unspoken attendance competition going on among them. It is believed a well-attended soiree means a strong campaign. Standing in the middle of a packed ballroom he had rented, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato said he was in New York to build relationships with supporters. He says, “Pennsylvania Society is a unique situation because you can get all corners of the state, the middle of the state, a lot of people from all over in one area for three days. And as you can see, I packed the room with a lot of supporters tonight. And I think it’s an indication of the viability of my candidacy.” Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett says it was worth the trip, “You know, there’s a lot of potential fundraising ability here, contacts here. Networking. I certainly like the reception that I have received this weekend, and continue to receive. I mean I’ve been coming to this since 1993 or 1994. It’s nice to get to see everybody. It is a lot of seeing the same people over and over again.” Along with campaigning there are a lot of discussions about upcoming legislative efforts. House Majority Leader Todd Eachus says Democrats have the votes they need to pass a table games bill. He says he is taking a different approach than the governor, “I always worry about the work. The governor’s got to worry about his press conferences. My focus is trying to get the job done.” At the same time, US Senator Arlen Specter of PA was talking about health care. Specter says the Senate will pass a health care bill by month’s end, but he shied away from declaring support for a compromise on the public health care option. He says, “We’ve talked a lot about it, but I want to read the fine print before I take a final stand on it. Getting 60 votes—getting 60 out of 60—is a tough job when you don’t have any Republican support.”

Corbett Will Continue Prosecutions

Attorney General Tom Corbett says he’s disappointed former Democratic Representative Sean Ramaley was acquitted by a Dauphin County jury last week. Over the weekend Corbett told reporters the verdict won’t have “any effect” on his corruption investigation’s other cases. After deliberating for less than three hours, a jury acquitted Sean Ramaley on all six charges he faced. That wasn’t what Corbett expected from the first trial of a long-running probe into the misuse of tax dollars for political purposes. Corbett says he believes his legal team had the evidence to win the case, “We do not bring cases if we don’t think that there’s a conviction there. That wouldn’t be fair.” One of Corbett’s opponents in the Republican gubernatorial primary, State Representative Sam Rohrer, says the Ramaley verdict brings added pressure to next month’s trials. He says, “There can’t be too many more of these without, I think, bringing into question the investigation.” The other Republican in the race, Congressman Jim Gerlach, didn’t criticize Corbett for the verdict, saying the A-G’s office is, “responsible for moving forward with the cases they think are important.”

1st Bonusgate Defendant Acquitted

The first defendant to go to trial in Attorney General Tom Corbett’s legislative corruption investigation has been acquitted on all counts.
A jury deliberated for less than three hours before delivering “not guilty” verdicts on all six counts former Democratic Representative Sean Ramaley faced.
Ramaley said he felt “vindicated” by the decision, and thanked his friends, family and legal team for sticking with him over the past year.

"This is an important day. I’ve been really humbled by the people who have stuck by me through this, through their phone calls, their emails, their letters. People who have not been afraid to come out and say they stuck by me. Those people will always have a special place in my heard."

Deputy Attorney General Anthony Krastek says his case was weakened by the fact Ramaley was tried apart from other defendants.

"Perhaps the jury didn’t get the full picture. Certainly there was a tremendous amount of character sources and we had to deal with that. Our theory was that this was not a bad man, but he got involved with a bad group of people. Apparently the jury was more thinking that he was a good man."

Several defendants have claimed Corbett’s investigation is politically motivated, and tied to his campaign for governor, but Krastek dismissed that charge.

"I have no apologies for this prosecution. I was honored to prosecute this case. It was based on the evidence as we believed it. And we didn’t get a verdict, but I’m happy with the job we did."

The trial lasted just under a week. Other Democrats, including former Whip Mike Veon, go on trial next month.

PA AG Investigation Expands

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell is confirming Revenue Secretary Steve Stetler has been invited to testify before a Harrisburg grand jury investigating the misuse of taxpayer dollars for campaign purposes. When Attorney General Tom Corbett announced the last round of legislative corruption charges in November, he said the investigation was ongoing and now there are indications the case is moving into a new phase. Revenue Secretary Steve Stetler, a former York County lawmaker who once chaired the House Democratic Campaign Committee, has been invited to testify before the grand jury, according to Governor Rendell. He says, “It was a letter asking him to come testify before the grand jury, and he’s going to do that.” Rendell says he maintains full confidence in Stetler, and insists he’s doing a “great job.” “Obviously if something happens we’ll deal with that at the appropriate time,” says Rendell. Grand jury testimony leaked to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette this summer indicates Stetler may have rejected proposals to fund opposition research efforts with campaign dollars, instead of caucus money. The Attorney General’s office hasn’t returned calls for comment as of this posting.

First Bonusgate Trial Begins

The first trial of an ongoing legislative corruption probe is underway in Harrisburg.
Former Beaver County Democratic Representative Sean Ramaley faces charges for allegedly collecting public dollars for a no-work state job while campaigning for office.
He’s the first of 22 defendants to go to trial in Attorney General Tom Corbett’s long running investigation of tax dollars used for political purposes.
Corbett, a Republican, is running for governor, so political scientist Christopher Borick of Muhlenberg College argues the Ramaley verdict will play a major role in the upcoming campaign.

"For an attorney general about to run for governor of Pennsylvania, and you’re touting your record, you want to actually have the results when it comes to prosecutions, and not just bringing indictments. And so that’s why I think a lot of eyes in the state are going to see these trials through a political lens."

The trial’s first day was spent on jury selection, and opening arguments may not begin until Friday. Other Democratic defendants, including former minority whip Mike Veon, are scheduled to go to trial next month.

Internet Job Scams

Attorney General Tom Corbett says there have been many complaints about job scams on web sites like Craigslist that offer high pay for part-time work. He says young people in search of summer work should especially be wary. The jobs have a few common themes: consumers work from home, cannot meet with employer in person and need to respond to advertisements quickly. But the one aspect that sets these scams apart from actual jobs is that consumers will be asked to wire-transfer money to another person. Corbett says these "employees" are depositing counterfeit checks or money orders into their bank accounts and then wire-transferring that money to scam artists overseas. Once the counterfeit checks are returned, banks turn to the consumer to repay the money withdrawn.

Corbett: Bonusgate Continues

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett is hinting his investigation into illegal use of taxpayer dollars recently ran into some snags, but a spokesman for one of the caucuses being investigated says it's cooperating with the probe. When Corbett testified before the House Appropriations Committee, he said the next round of Bonusgate indictments would "shock the conscience." Corbett wouldn't offer many details, but implied he ran into some roadblocks over the past few months, saying, “I can say that the investigation is moving more smoothly now than it was a few months ago.” The House Republican caucus is among the groups being looked into, but spokesman Steve Miskin insists GOP lawmakers and staffers have been working with Corbett since the first reports of illegal bonuses for campaign work. He says, “From that point forward we feel we have cooperated fully with the Attorney General and with his investigation. And we will continue to do so.” House Republicans have spent $1.8 million on legal fees since the investigation began, but Miskin says hiring outside council was the right thing to do. House Democrats have spent more than $2.5 million, while Senate Republicans have paid out $1.4 million in legal bills.

Attorney General appalled...sex offenders using MySpace

The State Attorney General is upset with sex offenders that have MySpace accounts. A court order recently gave the Attorney General's office information on 185 sex offenders who have profiles.

Attorney General spokesperson Nils Frederiksen says it is innappropriate for these people to use MySpace. Online predators could use it like an online shopping network to lure their prey, he remarks.

Frederiksen says none of these offenders have violated court orders with their accounts so far, but investigators need to look at each case individually. He suspects other sex offenders use an alias, and the Attorney General hopes MySpace and law enforcement will cooperate with further investigation in finding those people.