The Montgomery News lamented the crimes of Mellow, DeWeese and John Perzel. Patriot-News guest editorialist Bishop A.E. Sullivan, Jr., links the “bonusgate” and “computergate” scandals under the clever heading of “politricks.” Even Philadelphia Daily News columnist John Baer’s offhand mention of the legal expenses of Sen. Jane Orie (whose crimes Corbett also either missed or ignored) warranted the inclusion of “Fumo, Veon, DeWeese, Perzel, etc.”
Missing from the mass umbrage is any mention of a politician who put his own chief political operative on the state payroll, whose state-paid staffers conferred regularly with campaign workers on state phones during state time, who raised political contributions from the target of his own investigation, whose state-paid staffers distributed campaign literature on state time , and who used his government position to protect his political allies - over and over again.
When Corbett's own top deputy made it crystal clear that all transgressions of this type would be prosecuted as crimes, he didn't mention that senators and would-be governors were exempt.
Although he’s clearly committed the same sins for which he prosecuted others, Corbett inexplicably is spared the outrage. If it’s wrong for Orie, “Fumo, Veon, DeWeese, Perzel, etc.” to abuse their offices for political gain, why isn’t it wrong for Corbett?
Former longtime Pennsylvania House Democratic leader Bill DeWeese is out on bail days after he began serving a 2 1/2-to-five-year prison term for corruption.
ReplyDeleteA spokesman for the State Correction Institution in Camp Hill confirmed late Friday that DeWeese was released on bail.
DeWeese had reported to Dauphin County Prison in Harrisburg on Monday to begin his sentence.
Veon and co-defendant Annamarie Perretta-Rosepink are scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday by Judge Bruce Bratton.
ReplyDeleteThe prosecutors said the 55-year-old Veon has refused to accept responsibility for the misuse of state funds at a nonprofit he once ran in Beaver County and sought instead to shift the blame to others.
"The defendant is a remorseless, defiant, repeat offender," their memorandum says.
Sure he has no remorse this one way Republican PAOAG selective prosecutions and allowing the Senate to escape all investigations is more crooked than anything when Law Enforcements engages in political persecutions.
Veon has a right to be defiant.
Perhaps upon Judicial Review many of these cases will be overturned and the PAOAG will be investigated instead based upon their actions and inactions on political terms suitable to those now in power.
So, why has Veon, who is appealing, been imprisoned for over 2 years, but Annamarie Parreta has never been in the pokey while she appeals, and DeWeese is granted bail after 3 or 4 days? How is that justice?
ReplyDeleteTo make matters worse, DeWeese was out and about in Harrisburg - even attending a baseball game - on Saturday...how sad is it that a 60 plus year old man, who's facing years in prison, gets out on bail and has nowhere better to be?...see ya' at Tavern on Monday, Bill.
ReplyDeleteWhat hapen to DeWeese to be released is perfectly legal.
ReplyDeleteAfter a conviction one does not have the same Rights to bail as before, but one does havethe ability to get bail after a conviction and sentence.
It is due to the Rules of Procedure under the Supreme Court.
In weighing such a motion or formal request, the Judge or Judges considering it will consider the strength of the issues you are raising on appeal.
Bill DeWeese has some strong issues of Judicial Errors during his trial, and, while not the only consideration, these errors factors into this decision to allow bail pending the appeal.
This is not the good old boy network.
Deweese has not just good issues but great issues, and may even win a new trial or have the entire conviction overturned, since his Right to Trial of his Peers, at a neutral venue, and not allowed to put on Character Witnesses, and Judge was informed that the Judge gave out wrong Jury Instructions, and the Jury convicetd DeWeese using teh bias Grand Jury Report that left off Exculpatory Evidence were all ruled by teh Judge during the Trial and DeWeese Defense was all limited.
Sorry, but everyone has Rights and DeWeese is no different. This is justice too whether you like it or not. Justice is not always a conviction.
Justice is a process, not a result and when Judges make errors at trial and juries convict on those errors, you are entitled to an Appeal and can be overturned and one can wait for the Appeal while out on Bail if the Appeal Judges so deems it, due to such errors.
Release on bail while awaiting appeal is at the discretion of a judge when the sentence is longer than two years, but the judge has no discretion when the sentence is shorter, as Perretta-Rosepinks is. DeWeese, whose trial was supervised by a different judge than the original "Bonusgate" defendants, may have lucked out. Or not. If he has to return to prison, it may be worse for him than if he'd just stayed put in the first place.
ReplyDeleteIf DeWeese was just getting his "rights" to be out on bail after 4 days in jail, how come Veon, who is awaiting results of an appeal, has been in prison for 2years, with no time outs. And which Judge, exactly, granted DeWeese emergency bail? Could it be a Judge who got a payraise with Billyboy's help? Well...isn't he special?
ReplyDeleteVeon's trial judge ruled immediately on Veon's request to be released on bail pending appeal. DeWeese's judge did not, leaving a window to appeal to the Superior Court. However, the Superior Court freed him only until Judge Hoover issues a ruling on the request. He could be back in prison in a few days.
ReplyDeleteJudge just denied DeWeese's bail...back to jail Billy!
ReplyDeletePoor Dan Raynack...health issues?...somebody must have stuck his fat a** with a pin and let all of the hot air out.
ReplyDelete