by KYW's Steve Tawa
Pennsylvania state senator Vincent Fumo, who faces more than 100 charges in a federal indictment, surrendered on Wednesday morning to federal officials. He was to be fingerprinted before appearing before a federal magistrate.
Fumo stepped out of black Land Rover on 6th Street in center city Philadelphia, accompanied by his high-powered defense attorney Richard Sprague. Neither spoke to reporters before entering the federal courthouse.
The 267-page federal indictment (read full indicment - PDF) alleges that Fumo abused his power as a state senator and built an empire of staffers in government and in a nonprofit organization he controlled "to cater to his personal needs."
On Tuesday, US attorney Patrick Meehan said that Fumo, 63, delighted in spending "OPM" -- other people's money -- and that he didn't just step over the line of impropriety, "he completely ignored it" (see related story).
The charges include conspiracy, fraud, and obstruction of justice.
Also named in the indictment is a longtime aide, former executive director Ruth Arnao (right) of the Citizens Alliance for Better Neighborhoods.
Fumo has been a Pennsylvania state senator since 1978.
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