Criminal Charges Filed in Probe of Pa. Legislature Staff Bonuses

by KYW's Tony Romeo

A Pennsylvania state representative, a former Pennsylvania lawmaker, and 10 others have been indicted in a probe of nearly $4 million in secret legislative bonuses.

Attorney general Tom Corbett announced criminal charges on Thursday against 12 suspects in what he called the "first phase" of his investigation into whether bonuses were paid to staffers in the Pennsylvania legislature in return for campaign work.

The biggest name among those hit with charges is former state representative Mike Veon (D-Beaver County, top right). Veon was the House minority whip in 2006, when the bonuses were paid. He was voted out of office in 2006 by the backlash over the 2005 legislative pay raises.

Corbett says Veon directed a staffer to keep a list of all Democratic House staffers who assisted with political work:

“The grand jury found that the political culture created by Veon consistently sought to promote and to reward, with taxpayer monies, those staffers who engaged in political endeavors and campaign work.”

The surprise on the list of suspects is current lawmaker Rep. Sean Ramaley (D-Beaver County, middle right), allegedly hired to work a no-show job in Veon’s district office.

Also charged on Thursday was Michael Manzo (bottom right), the former chief of staff to Pennsylvania House majority leader William DeWeese.   

Attorney general Corbett says he expects more arrests to follow.

Speculation over the attorney general’s probe has gripped the capitol for weeks. It all began in January 2007, when the Harrisburg Patriot-News reported that some Democratic House staffers had been given hefty bonuses -- and were sent letters urging them to keep quiet about it (see related story).

Attorney general Corbett has insisted all along that he has been investigating bonuses paid to staffers of both parties in both the state House and Senate, but developments along the way –- including a raid on the Democratic Office of Legislative Research last August -- have suggested that Corbett’s probe has centered on House Democrats.

In February of last year, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that 80 of the 100 House Democratic staffers who got the biggest bonuses had donated money to or worked on the campaigns of the two top House Democratic leaders (see additional related stories).