Corbett is under harsh criticism for his failure to investigate promptly an allegation that former Penn State football defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky sexually abused a Central Mountain High School student.
The complaint was referred to Corbett, then Pennsylvania Attorney General, in March of 2009. Investigators from the Office of Attorney General were not assigned to the case until October 2010, just before Corbett was elected governor.
Sandusky was not arrested in connection with the Central Mountain boy, and seven other alleged vicims, until earlier this month. This week, Corbett defended the length of the investigation, saying, "The one thing you do not want to do as a prosecutor is go on one case." In other words, the investigation took so long because he had to go searching for other victims (which he didn't bother to do) before he could file charges.
Unsurprisingly, Corbett is lying. Again.
A six-year-old Northampton County girl told police in February 2010 that she had been assaulted. By December, the rapist already had been sentenced. He was arrested immediately after the complaint of a single victim.
In a case that was prosecuted by Corbett's own office - in the midst of the Sandusky investigation - Delaware County District Judge Gerald C. Liberace was sentenced earlier this year on a sex abuse conviction involving a single victim. Remember, as a prosecutor, you never want to go on just one case. Except when you do.
In March of 2009, around the same time Corbett received the Sandusky case, state police charged Butler County physician and Boy Scout leader David Allen Evanko with sexually abusing two scouts.
Less than six months later, Corbett himself announced additional charges related to additional victims.
Just to be clear, even though the doctor already had been arrested on the original complaint, Corbett's office was able to continue the investigation and file additional charges - a procedure Corbett claims he went to great lengths to avoid in the Sandusky case. And, he managed to complete the Evanko investigation in one year.
Even cases involving multiple victims over several years - cases that were taken to a grand jury - have never taken anything close to three years to investigate. Marysville borough officials first received complaints about officer Robert J. Pavlovich Jr. in early March of 2007. The initial complaint involved two girls. By late October, investigators had identified at least 14 victims. All in just over six months.
As Attorney General, Corbett bragged that his Child Predator Unit made 250 arrests. Most of the defendants were arrested on the basis of their contact with a single "victim" - who wasn't even a child but an agent posing as one.
Is there no limit to the outrageous dishonesty Corbett can get away with?
UPDATE, 6/22/12: Journalists awaiting a verdict in the Sandusky trial report that "Prosecutors have more victims ready to come forward if Jerry Sandusky is acquitted." - precisely what Corbett claimed he could not do: "[If] you were to lose that one case, it would be much more difficult to bring charges in other cases because it would be seen by you, by the public, as vindictive."
8 comments:
Tom Corbett as AG and Governor cannot escape the blame here in anyway on his failure of nerve that mired in this filth?
Our Governor should be completely removed from any dealings with PSU!
For all we know, this man has knowledgeable of the situation surrounding a missing DA, the cover-up throughout the years as the lead investigator from the OAG - not to mention, his continued donations to the Second Mile at the tax-payers expense, and then bragged he held it up?
I hope the new AG looks long and hard at possibly charging him, too!
Linda Kelly needs to step up and regulate this entire mess and now and drop the legislator trials to ethical violations as were all along!
We truly need reform at every level of government, so why not start at the top and weed out everyone?
As far as the current PSU trustees are concerned, they all need fired and start anew!
What about "Kids for Cash", Yorktown , Middlesex Gov't Official child pedophilia, and the Milton Hershey School child pornography cases and Zimmerman's mishandking of Hershey Funds and Mike Long hiring Private Detectives on Senate Funds and time?
Why is Penn State & Sandusky being investigated and reported in isolation of these other recent cases?
It seems there is a consistent theme of child pornography, pedophilia, and judge, politicians & pulblic administrator involvement and coverup, and it started with AG Corbett.
What, exactly, is going on in Pennsylvania?
Why don't we start seeing if there is a bigger picture here?
I saw the same problem in some places.
Women from Cleveland probably in her 50's & 60's said, and I quote, you should be embarrassed to wear that Penn State shirt in public. I said "why?" (Probably should have just ignored her) then she went into a rant about the cover up.
The man I sat beside on an airplane ride from Philadelphia to Arizona proceeded to go off on me venting about how evil Joe Paterno was.
A man in Tucson complained that all we care about is football, not children, and the fact that we are "moving on" so quickly is a disgrace to humanity.
A women in San Diego whined about the Paterno's covering it up and something about Joe being bad because he had a statue of himself outside the stadium and that supposedly makes him a bad person for allowing it to be put up.
I could go on and on... but it is getting annoying, and Tom Corbett caused this more than anyone did, by protecting his election over protecting the children sooner.
That and everyone seems to act like We ALL rioted and were sympathizers for Paterno and Penn State more than the Victims.
Thank you Tom Corbett you need to be investigated.
Teabagger Gov. Tom Corbett's twisted, perverted, convoluted logic of not promptly investigating PSU asst. football coach Jerry Sandusky's alleged sexual abuse of boys because a single incident resulting in an acquittal and then subsequent additional prosecutions would seem vindicative and retaliatory is completely asinine.
It obviously would have been political suicide for Corbett to indict a PSU football coach on sexual abuse charges, and Corbett wanted to be governor more than he wanted to protect some poor kids from disadvantaged backgrounds.
(If Corbett's reasoning was based in TRUTH and reality, then a single murder would have to become a string of murders to get him to prosecute. He is a sanctimonious and shameless liar, an unprinciple egomaniac, and an idiotic sociopath -- typical Republican "law and order" hypocrite.
Corbett entire tenure at teh AG was based on becoming Governor, not seeking the truth or justice.
This is why any fair and complete investigation will expose Corbett complicity and faliures to protect children because it would stop his election to higher office.
This is why the Pennsylvania Legislature should pass a law that prevents Attorney Generals, District Attorneys, and Federal Prosecutors from running for Higher Office only after a 4 year waiting period.
Finally, Tom Corbett can no longer run away from his previous words that do not match his actions.
The Veon and Cott Convictions should be overturned as well all criminal charges on remaining Defendants, if true justice is to prevail.
http://www.yardbird.com/tv_police_chief_cant_stop_pedophile_sex_ring.htm
Police Chief Herbert Grofcsik discusses
'VIP' sex and pedophile ring protected by
Pennsylvania attorney general's office
'There needs to be a moral investigation of this. It's not gonna come out of the Attorney General's office in Harrisburg'
I see disturbing parallels between the intentional, institutional neglect of sexually abused children in favor of pedophile priests.
And Corbett's willful dereliction of duty to act to safeguard children thought to have been sexually abused or potential victims by removing Sandusky immediately upon receiving reports.
Further, he failed provide information about his consultation, if any, with child protective services, so that his response as the PA Attorney General could be consistent with the child protection statues of the state.
It seems to me that he knowingly delayed in acting to protect his political career and chances for election by leaving this mess unresolved until he became governor.
In my opinion, he shouid be put on trial just like Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua and his top assistants.
Corbett needs to be called to account for his callous indifference toward and reckless endangerment of children.
In school settings, staff members suspected of abusing children are investigated immediately and often placed on administrative leave, or, depending on the severity of the case, immediately arrested.
Yet Corbett so far has gotten a free pass. It is time to rid the political system of his appalling neglect of children. He needs either to be impeached, tried for crimes or, if he were a person of integrity (which his actions show he is not), resign in disgrace.
Governor Corbett was all over the Sunday morning shows a week ago, swearing he knew nothing about any of this scandal.
I looked at my husband and said "how can that be, if you were the State Atty General?
You were either the worst Atty General ever, or you KNEW ALL ABOUT IT.
Yet another guy who should resign in shame, and go to prison.
Anyone who lives in Pennsylvania knows why Corbett allowed this investigation to drag on for three years without arresting Sandusky.
Corbett was going to run for Governor and he did not wish to piss off the millions of Penn State and Joe Paterno true believers in this state, especially the very Republican-voting center of the state.
Corbett decided to allow a child predator to stay free as the grand jury investigation dragged on, so he could win an election.
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