Justice is served
It turns out that justice is an equal opportunity prosecutor when it comes to political corruption in Harrisburg.
When former Democratic Majority Whip Mike Veon, who represented the 14th Legislative District, was prosecuted and later convicted on 14 counts of theft, conflict of interest and conspiracy, his defenders said politics was behind then-Attorney General Tom Corbett’s so-called Bonusgate investigation.
They contended Corbett, a Republican, was using the probe to discredit Democrats and as a springboard for his gubernatorial hopes. Veon was one of 12 people indicted. The others had ties to Veon or the Democratic House caucus. Veon is now serving time in a minimum-security state prison.
Well, Corbett is no longer the state’s top prosecutor. He’s the governor, yet politicians still keep falling from power into prison.
This time it’s former Republican powerhouse John Perzel of Philadelphia, who lost his bid for a 17th term in 2010. It was the first time Perzel, who served as House speaker at one point in his career, faced voters after being charged on 82 counts, including theft, criminal conspiracy and obstruction of justice.
Last week, Perzel pleaded guilty to eight counts and agreed to appear as a witness against his former chief of staff. Nine other GOP operatives have been charged, and four have entered pleas.
While these successful prosecutions are significant, it’s important to remember that the political culture that spawned Veon and Perzel is still largely in place, including the outsized power of caucus leaders, a virtually nonexistent campaign finance law, a weak law regarding the reporting of lobbyists’ expenses, and a lack of transparency on legislative spending.
Successful criminal prosecutions do not translate into good government. Unless the sources that spawned Bonusgate and related investigations are cleaned up, it’s only a matter of time before history repeats itself.