Congratulations Harrisburg

Harrisburg, you rarely get anything right, but in addition to being America's Largest Full-Time State Legislature, you have this to brag out -- leadership on both sides of the aisle, in both houses of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, have now been found guilty of or charged with corruption.

It's difficult enough to remember everything happening in the Jane Orie case, but here's a checklist of the charges against House and Senate leadership by both the Democratic and Republican parties.

Senate

Majority (Republican) Whip Jane Orie: Charges of using state resources for campaign work due this week from an Allegheny County grand jury

Ranking Democratic member of Senate Appropriations Committee/author of state gambling legislation Vincent Fumo: Convicted of all 137 counts in federal corruption trial in March 2009, and sentenced to 4.5 years in prison. (Note for those keeping track of Orie/Zappala feud -- former Supreme Court chief Stephen Zappala Sr. presided over Fumo's second wedding and wrote a letter on Fumo's behalf to the sentencing judge.)

House

Former House (Republican) Speaker John Perzel: Charged in November with misrouting $10 million in taxpayer funds for political purposes.

Former House (Democratic) Speaker Bill DeWeese: Charged in December with directing state workers to do campaign work.

 

Former House (Democratic) Whip Mike Veon: Found guilty in March of 14 corruption counts over directing state bonuses (thus, "Bonusgate") to state workers for campaign work. Faces up to 73 years in jail.