On the same day a jury in Philadelphia found former state Sen. Vince Fumo guilty of 137 counts of corruption, a newspaper in Pittsburgh is reporting that evidence has surfaced possibly linking former Democratic House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese to the growing "Bonusgate" corruption scandal.From a story by Brad Bumsted:
An e-mail provided to defense attorneys in the so-called Bonusgate case might contradict former House Democratic Leader Bill DeWeese's longstanding claim that he knew nothing about state-paid bonuses for campaign work.DeWeese has repeatedly denied any direct knowledge of the illegal payments to state workers for doing campaign work on taxpayer time, but his chief of staff and the former No. 2 Democratic leader in the House are facing criminal charges.
In December 2004, an e-mail written by legislative research analyst Karen Steiner thanked DeWeese, D-Greene County, and then-House Democratic Whip Mike Veon of Beaver Falls for a "bonus for campaigning." DeWeese responded with "U R welcome," copies of the exchange obtained by the Tribune-Review show.
More from Busted's article:
A dozen people with ties to the House Democratic Caucus, including two former lawmakers, are awaiting trial on multiple charges stemming from the bonus payments. DeWeese's former chief of staff, Mike Manzo, has agreed to plead guilty for helping to direct the bonus scheme.Attorney General Tom Corbett is presenting evidence to a grand jury about the $3.6 million in taxpayer-funded bonuses awarded by legislative leaders in 2005 and 2006.
Manzo testified in November that he believed DeWeese knew about the bonus program.
The Democrats took back control of the state House in 2006 after 12 years of GOP control. The Democratic Caucus also awarded more bonus money to state workers than the other three legislative caucuses combined.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
