"Someone started deleting these documents about two weeks after the trial. We were notified by attorneys for the Senate caucus that documents were missing. We're done playing with these guys." (Tribune Review 9/29/11)Especially notable about Zappala's announcement is that these are the very first subpoenas issued for testimony from Senate Republican staff, even though it's been nearly five years since then-Attorney General and Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Corbett claimed he would investigate all four legislative caucuses and their alleged use of taxpayer resources for political campaign purposes.
There's no doubt these subpoenas will allow Zappala's investigators will uncover problems with Orie, but if they ask the right questions, then Mike Long, Drew Crompton, former Senator Bob Jubelirer and former Senator Chip Brightbill have much to fear.
Corbett and his Republican Attorney General successors have allowed the Republican State Senate Caucus to self-investigate and self-report any evidence of campaigning illegally by its members and staff. In fact, the only contact between the Office of Attorney General and the Senate GOP has been the two voluntary appearances of former General Counsel Stephen MacNett, one of the very Senate staff members who performed campaign work on the state's dime over his many years as an employee of that caucus.
Clearly, Corbett's tactic of allowing the Senate Republicans to investigate themselves has been an abject disaster, most clearly exhibited by its failure to uncover the rampant illegality occurring in Orie's offices. If they "missed" that, then it is highly likely they've "missed" Mike Long's well-documented campaign activity and the taxpayer-funded bonus Drew Crompton' received for working on Lynn Swann's 2006 gubernatorial campaign.
For too long, Corbett and the Office of Attorney General has been playing a cute little game of hide the sausage with the Senate Republican Caucus. Well-deserved investigative scrutiny finally being is brought to bear by Zappala. Subpoenas, testifying under oath, and the threat of perjury convictions tend to elicit the truth from even the most reluctant of witnesses.
Let's hope Zappala asks the questions of those under oath that Corbett and his successors have refused to ask for over five years.
23 comments:
RIGHT ON CASABLACAPA.
DA Zappalla should run for Attorney General, and shake up Frank Fina, Mike Long, Stan Smith and Linda Kelly's cover ups all started by Tom Corbett!
They thought they would never be investigated, that the Republican Governor appointing a Republican Attorney General, approved by a Republican Senate, with Republican House Caucus complicity under the Corrupt Public Unit Chief Frank Fina.
They are about to be investigated and they are about to be layering up, first to Immunity Wins.
In a few weeks, Frank Fina is about to be ambushed by the Defense at the Computer Gate Trial that is going to upset AG Linda Kelly very much, and frighten William Ward and Governor Corbett.
Wait, watch, and enjoy the unraveling of Frank Fina’s and the entire OAG, the reckoning is near!
A new star of justice and the American way is born...
Stephen A. Zappala Jr. is the District Attorney of Allegheny County in Pennsylvania. He has held this position since 1998, taking over for long serving Robert Colville.
Stephen A. Zappala Jr. is the son of Phyllis Zappala (nee Koleno) and Stephen Zappala Sr., former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice, and grandson of Frank J. Zappala, now-deceased Pennsylvania attorney, magistrate and legislator.
Stephen Zappala Jr. is the brother of Michelle Zappala Peck and Gregory Zappala.
After graduating from Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, Zappala Jr. began his undergraduate studies at the University of Delaware, where he played linebacker.
After a back injury sidelined him, he transferred to the University of Pittsburgh, where he graduated with a degree in political science. He earned his J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law.
Upon graduation from law school, he joined the Pittsburgh law firms of Grogan, Graffam, McGinley & Lucchino and Datillo, Barry, Fasulo & Cambest as an associate. In 1990, he became a partner at Brucker, Zappala, Schneider & Porter, another Pittsburgh law firm. In 1995, he was named Chairman of the Allegheny County Board of Viewers.
In December 1997, then-District Attorney Robert Colville announced he was leaving the position to become judge on the Court of Common Pleas. Zappala was appointed by the Allegheny County's Common Pleas judges with 22 votes. His primary rival for the position, W. Christopher Conrad, received 6 votes.
Zappala defeated Conrad again in the 1999 Democratic primary election for the district attorney position, with 63% of the vote.
However, Conrad successfully pursued write-in votes on the Republican ballot, which led to Zappala facing Conrad again in the general election in November 1999. Zappala won handily.
Zappala is the new Emiliano Zapata Salazar, known for forming and commanding an important revolutionary force that protected the small farmers and people from the upper class, and the Liberation Army of the South, during the Mexican Revolution.
Followers of Zapata were known as Zapatistas
Too bad the Zappala's aren't clean:
http://www.yardbird.com/luna_murder_resembles_1932_PA_mob_hit.htm
Let's not forget Stephen Sr.'s role case-fixing for Rendell and others left un-investigated in the Rolf Larsen impeachment. In your rush to embarrass Corbett, don't throw in with the devil ...
After months of legal maneuvering and a guilty plea by a man who once was among the state's most powerful politicians, the so-called Computergate public corruption trial began this morning in Dauphin County Court.
View full sizeFormer Rep. John Perzel has pleaded guilty to eight of 82 counts that stem from a state public corruption probe. JOHN C. WHITEHEAD/The Patriot-News
In his opening statement, Chief Deputy Attorney General Frank Fina outlined what he said was a web of conspiracies by state House GOP Caucus officials, including former House Speaker John Perzel, to use taxpayer money to further Republican political campaigns.
Perzel's allies in that effort included his ex-chief of staff Brian Preski, former state Rep. Brett Feese and Feese's top aide, Jill Seaman, the sole remaining defendants in Computergate, Fina said.
He told the jury that Perzel and the five other Computergate defendants who pleaded guilty in the case last month will testify against Preski, Feese and Seaman during what is expected to be an eight-week trial.
Fina vowed to show that the alleged conspirators used million of dollars in taxpayer funds to buy elaborate computer services that focused on compiling information on voter habits that was used to enhance the effectiveness of election campaigns by Perzel and other Republican legislators between 2002 and 2006.
Also, Fina said in his 90-minute opening, state-paid workers were used for campaign work on the taxpayers' dime.
But Fina never found the time to investigate Republican Senate for hiring Private Detectives using Senate Funds on state time and campaigning on the taxpayer's dime.
Frank Fina has produced the greatest Fraud on Commonwealth Taxpayers.
Anonymous said...
Too bad the Zappala's aren't clean:
Let's not forget Stephen Sr.'s role case-fixing for Rendell and others left un-investigated in the Rolf Larsen impeachment. In your rush to embarrass Corbett, don't throw in with the devil ...
September 29, 2011 2:23 PM
Let us review your evidence in your post?
First, Corbett has embarrassed himself by the way he conducted the investigations of protecting Republicans Friends and going after his Political enemies so he could become Governor.
Second, now that the truth crushed into the earth is rising again, and Republicans Long, Nyquist, Crompton have been caught using state funds to do Operation Research on Conservative Republicans and against Democrats but never investigated by Frank Fina is in bed with the Devil already not us!
Third, now you bring up an 82-Year-Old so-called Zappalla Murder as proof Corbett should not be embarrass for his 2000's misdeeds as Attorney General Smacks of Pique.
Fourth, Frank Dermody handles the removal of Rolf Larsen because Rolf Larsen was an embarrassment of the Supreme Court for based on his own criminal behavior.
Finally, all you are doing is trying to change the topic that Tom Corbett, William Ward, Sam Smith, Joe Scarnatti, Mike Long, Drew Crompton, and Todd Nyquist, Linda Kelley, and Frank Fina have tried to cover up to date.
If you have something on Zappalla bring it out, if you do not, start to concentrate on the real crimes committed by the Republicans this past decade and past months in keeping the cover-ups goings.
Corbett crimes to become the Governor are the issue now as Republicans unraveling has arrive.
Good Conservative Republicans can replace these Moderates associated with Crimes Frank Fina was suppose to be investigating, now Frank Fina will be investigated too.
Did we hear the FBI say sex may have played a hand in Luna's death off the turnpike?
Well, sex and organized crime Share-A-Ride at the Pennsylvania turnpike. Concerned citizens are curiously unable to do anything about it. They are curiously unable to do anything about the allegations dogging the owner of the turnpike's security service, I'd learn. For reasons of politics, the U.S. Justice Department, and the FBI, don't care.
"The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has a history of public scandal and corruption dating to the 1950s," sums up the Allentown Morning Call in an April 18, 2004 article. In its Hall of Shame, the paper lists a 1999 incident involving the wife of the then-president of the state senate and a future lieutenant governor.
In 1999, the paper recalls, "State Sen. Robert Jubelirer files for divorce after nude pictures of his wife, a turnpike employee, are discovered on a computer at work. The employee responsible for the camera used to take the pictures was fired. Jubelirer's wife resigned. Her hiring five years earlier had prompted a lawsuit that was settled for $250,000. The plaintiff also was hired by the turnpike."
What's the wife of a top state senator doing with a turnpike job? Today, Jubelirer has remarried, this time to a judge. He was also recently thrown out of office by voters.
At the Pennsylvania turnpike, at the time of Luna's death in late 2003, different factions, shall we say, were in, while other factions were out. In Pennsylvania government, it's the old in/out.
Nixon Approval Ratings Prior to Watergate a Comparison for Governor Corbett’s Cover Ups on Bonusgate, Computergate, And Now Corbettgate:
From time to time, it is good to look at current Governor Corbett approval ratings, and compare them to former President Nixon. They are out there and available, of course, but they're surprisingly hard to find, just like Frank Fina unable after 5 years finding evidence on Republican Senators giving bonuses for campaign work and hiring Private Detectives with senate funds to do Operation Research on candidates running against them.
Of course, Frank Fina never investigated the Senate Aides that did these crimes because AG Corbett hired them to make him be elected Governor when he was supposed to be investigating them.
The best source found to date so far is the Roper Center at the University of Connecticut. They have a page with the data, but their graph quite frankly stinks. Therefore, we compiled their data and made our own graphs, which we now share with you.
We think there are a few very interesting points that are visible that portend Corbett peak as the Republican Attorney General Axis Republican Senate 8 Year Cover Up Is Unraveling As We Post..
First of all, Nixon started with a substantial number of "no opinion" ratings -- as high as 35%, very much similar to Corbett IQ numbers. Nevertheless, the ambivalence quickly disappeared, as seen now by the Ron Harper Jr. Evidence.
There was substantial movement from "no opinion" to "disapprove" during the first few months of his Presidency the same as for Governor Corbett.
Second, Nixon was much more popular than Corbett throughout most of his Presidency was, but steadily eroded over time, just what is about to happen to Corbett.
However, Nixon didn't get low until his former counsel was testifying before the special Senate Watergate panel describing the political espionage that he'd personally taken part in, enemies listings, cover up of illegal campaign contributions, and the cover up he participated in to save himself and his Aides.
Third, at first it looks like Nixon was seen as "above the fray" at the start of Watergate. Everything was somebody else's fault and he did not know about any of it.
Just like Corbett was doing when being sued by a Whistleblower 20+ Career Senior Deputy Attorney General Thomas Kimmett, whose Video Deposition revealed Corbett giving 135, “I Don’t Know”, about how his AG Office inner workings were not to his knowledge.
Nixon approval rating was at an all-time high as the Watergate burglars were convicted, despite the fact that it was a fairly high profile case and some of them were former Nixon aides.
FOLLOW MORE BELOW:
FROM ANGELS OF JUSTICE ABOVE:
It was not until one of the convicted former aides, James McCord, started to make allegations of obstruction of justice and point fingers higher up that things started to take a turn for the worse.
The Senate Republicans and Corbett used a Private Detective named Ron Harper Jr. with a signed contract with the Republican Caucus to do Operation Research and intimidate candidates that were running against them.
If Nixon had James McCord, the Republicans had Ron Harper Jr.
What happen to Nixon is about to happen to Corbett on his highly selective Computergate investigations and Zappalla revelation investigation that Republicans Senate Caucus destroyed Computer Files that could implicate them in today’s’ papers as well as Corbett’s cover up not to investigate his friends in the Republican Senate.
Fourth, July 1973 was an incredibly bad month for Nixon. His net approval rating dropped by a whopping 25%.
At the end of June, his former counsel testified that he was involved personally in the Watergate break-in and was involved in the obstruction of justice.
Then in July, he refused to testify before the Watergate committee, citing executive privilege; the existence of the White House tapes was revealed; and he refused to hand over the tapes.
All this contributed to a serious drop in public approval from which he never recovered.
So far, now of this has happen to Corbett so his approvals will remain high. Yet, as the Media and Public keep seeing no investigations by Linda Kelly on her fellow senators that approved her, she will soon be included in any future inquiry by Conservative Senators and the Tea Party leading to an Independent Prosecutor being appointed soon.
Fifth, even as the worst came out and no matter how truthful and damaging there was still a solid core of about 25% of the country who never abandoned Nixon and continued to approve of him, this will not happen for Corbett.
Corbett biggest threat comes from Conservatives that were chastised for years for dare they run against Republican Leadership. They have the evidence some say that will turn over Senate Aides complicity and then the prosecution and removal of Senate prior and current leadership that will lead to Frank Fina’s cover-ups, and eventually to Corbett.
Overall, a very interesting set of data indeed for a President that broke the law in order to become elected, soon Corbett will understand the same fate.
Do you guys have the entire Brian Nutt deposition? If so, can you post it?
On the Kimmentt Case too!
NEW BOOK COMING SOON AFTER AN ARREST:
From "Master Manipulator" to Star Witness"
By
Mike Long
With Excerpts from Drew Crompton's "Me Too" Book.
and
Todd Nyquist's "Director of CCECST, Citizen Campaign to Elect Corbett On State Time!
St. Martin’s Press and Time believe they can publish anything and they did on these three bonus baby pigs.
"Now you bring up an 82-Year-Old so-called Zappalla Murder as proof Corbett should not be embarrass for his 2000's misdeeds as Attorney General Smacks of Pique.... If you have something on Zappalla bring it out."
DA Zappala's brother Gregory was the co-owner of the Luzerne County detention center at the heart of the Kids for Cash scandal. Gregory Zappala's role in al this has not been properly investigated or prosecuted. As well, Gregory Zappala figured in the Larsen impeachment.
The Zappalas are NOT clean. Rooting for a Zappala in this mess is literally like rooting for a Gambino instead of a Genovese. Sad days indeed in Pennsylvania ... How about real reform for PA?
Current remedies for prosecutorial misconduct, such as reversal of conviction or dismissal of charges, are rarely granted by courts and thus do not deter prosecutors effectively.
Further, such all-or-nothing remedial schemes are often problematic from corrective and expressive perspectives, especially when misconduct has not affected the trial verdict.
When granted, such remedies produce windfalls to guilty defendants and provoke public resentment, undermining their expressive value in condemning misconduct.
To avoid such windfalls, courts must refuse to grant any remedy at all, either refusing to recognize violations or deeming them harmless.
This often leaves significant non-conviction-related harms unremedied and egregious prosecutorial misconduct uncondemned.
Accordingly proposes adding sentence reduction to current all-or-nothing remedial schemes, arguing that this would provide courts with an intermediate remedy that they would be more willing to grant.
It argues that several prosecutorial incentives combine to make sentence reduction an effective deterrent.
Moreover, because sentence reduction could be tailored to the magnitude of the violation, it could resolve the windfall dilemma and serve as an effective corrective and expressive remedy.
Free Mike Veon & Vacate Brett Cott Conviction and Pardon Both!
When the real truth comes out.
Full yardbird link mentioned above is:
http://www.yardbird.com/luna_murder_resembles_1932_PA_mob_hit.htm
Harper's reporting does not indicate someone as supporting Corbett or the status quo:
http://paindependent.com/2010/03/bonus-gate-ii/
Page four - read Harper's editorial busting on Corbett
http://www.issuu.com/skyzlimit/docs/080718b
Ron Harper wasn't working for Corbett: "Senate Republicans and Corbett used a Private Detective named Ron Harper Jr." Check out this story by Harper critical of Corbett:
http://paindependent.com/2010/03/bonus-gate-ii/
Anonymous said...
Ron Harper wasn't working for Corbett: "Senate Republicans and Corbett used a Private Detective named Ron Harper Jr." Check out this story by Harper critical of Corbett: http://paindependent.com/2010/03/bonus-gate-ii/ September 29, 2011 8:52 PM
In the words of Ronald Reagan.....there you go again.
We have articles in Newspapers Mike Long bragging about hiring Ron Harper Jr. with a state contract, on state time, to do Operations Research and bragging about using him against Democrats and Republican Candidates running against Republican Incumbents.
We know Harper went after Eichelberger, Cawley, and Folmer based on both of their statements.
So, Harper was a Double Agent pretending to be a conservative and watch dog when he was employed to be an attack dog against Conservative Republicans.
Corbett ignoring him, and Frank Fina covering up any investigation of him, only proves more evidence, where there is a smolking gun, there is a fire of corruption.
Mike Long has broken the Criminal Code and Frank Fina now has to get him as promised!
If Ron Harper Jr. is smart he will cooperate with all investigations by being honest and telling everything he was asked to do by Mike Long and others....and remain standing tall and walking tall and run for office too.
Ron Harper should go to DA Zappala of Allegheny County and Philadelphia's DA Seth Williams and ask for Immunity and turn in everything he knows about Republican Senate and House Caucuses about using state money on state time for campaigning.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Ron Castille should appoint former DA Lynne Abraham as a Special Independent Prosecutor to investigate the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office on Prosecution Misconduct in regards to political corruption of OAG cover-ups on Bonusgate, omputergate, and Corbettgate!
If Frank Fina did nothing as he claims he should welcome such an investigation.
Ron Harper Jr, could be a big plus too in going after the criminals Frank Fina refused ro seek out in the senate.
Not that it's a real big deal, but the term is "Opposition Research" not "Operations Research"
Just had to point that out, since you mention it so often.
Anonymous said... Not that it's a real big deal, but the term is "Opposition Research" not "Operations Research" Just had to point that out, since you mention it so often. September 30, 2011 10:00 AM
Thank you, but I called it Operation Research for a reason.
Mike Long did not employ Ron Harper Jr. just for Opposition Research on State Time with State Funds.
According to The Honorable Senator Eichelberger and others, Ron Harper Jr. was sent to Blair County to intimate, harass, and outright confront Eichelberger while in the employed by contract under Mike Long Approval using Senate Funds on State Time.
Thus, Mike Long crimes and violations of the Criminal Code as a Senate Employee were far more than "Opposition Research”, but an outright Nixon Operation Research type of dirty tricks politics in violation of the law.
This is far worse than just Opposition Research that Frank Fina claimed before every Grand Jury was a misuse of State Employees of State Funds on State Time......But Corbett And Frank Fina Never Did Anything About It.
Tom Corbett and Frank allow it to happen way back in 2003, 2004, and 2005 and Intentionally Never Did Anything To Investigate It, Stop It, Nor Put It Before A Grand Jury, And It Has Been Over 9 Years/
A Perfect Example of Tom Corbett and Frank Fina not following violations of the criminal code, and outright participants in either a cover up or failure to prosecute and protect Senate Power Brokers.
If Linda Kelly lets this pass too, she is just as responsible for allowing the practice on Incumbents using state resources, money, and staff as campaign devices to intimidate candidates running against Incumbents, and that is not just wrong, it is allowing others to use their power to break the law.
Mike Long must be investigated over this today not tomorrow, and anything less is cover up of crimes by Frank Fina, Tom Corbett, and now Linda Kelly.
It is perfect proof that Tom Corbett misused the Attorney General Office as a political instrument to become Governor by attacking his enemies and protecting his friends, and Frank Fina was his fool or conspirator in carrying it out, and it is up to General Linda Kelly to investigate and prosecute it, or is now complicit knowing it happen and is doing nothing about it.
It was an, "OPERATIONS RESEARCH ORGANIZATION EQUAL TO NIXON'S PLUMBERS AND CREEP ORGANIZATION," not just Opposition Research.
No Reasonable Person Can Conclude Otherwise Or Grand Juror And Any Continued Cover Up Is A Crime Against The Criminal Code, according to Frank Fina Quotes and Grand Jury Presentations!
Political activist Gene Stilp has established a confidential tip system to accept allegations of civil or criminal wrongdoing in Dauphin County government.
Complaints can be anonymously mailed to Dauphin County Courthouse Crime Watch, P.O. Box 61246, Harrisburg 17110. ¶
Stilp, coordinator of Taxpayers and Ratepayers United Inc., said he will bring legitimate complaints to the attention of the authorities.
The taxpayers group has operated tip lines in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties for years and has forwarded information to investigators probing corruption, Stilp said.
After months of legal maneuvering and a guilty plea by a man who once was among the state's most powerful politicians, the so-called Computergate public corruption trial began this morning in Dauphin County Court.
View full sizeFormer Rep. John Perzel has pleaded guilty to eight of 82 counts that stem from a state public corruption probe. JOHN C. WHITEHEAD/The Patriot-News
In his opening statement, Chief Deputy Attorney General Frank Fina outlined what he said was a web of conspiracies by state House GOP Caucus officials, including former House Speaker John Perzel, to use taxpayer money to further Republican political campaigns.
Perzel's allies in that effort included his ex-chief of staff Brian Preski, former state Rep. Brett Feese and Feese's top aide, Jill Seaman, the sole remaining defendants in Computergate, Fina said.
He told the jury that Perzel and the five other Computergate defendants who pleaded guilty in the case last month will testify against Preski, Feese and Seaman during what is expected to be an eight-week trial.
Fina vowed to show that the alleged conspirators used million of dollars in taxpayer funds to buy elaborate computer services that focused on compiling information on voter habits that was used to enhance the effectiveness of election campaigns by Perzel and other Republican legislators between 2002 and 2006.
Also, Fina said in his 90-minute opening, state-paid workers were used for campaign work on the taxpayers' dime.
Defense attorneys are to make their opening statements when Judge Richard A. Lewis reconvenes the trial this afternoon.
A computer programmer for Pennsylvania's House Republican caucus testified Tuesday in a state corruption trial that, between 2001 and 2006, he spent at least 40 percent of his work day working on political campaign issues.
Keith Paukovits was the leadoff witness Tuesday as prosecutors began trying to prove that three people formerly linked to the caucus participated in a conspiracy to spend millions of public dollars on technology and expertise from out-of-state contractors to illegally help elect Republicans.
Testifying under a grant of immunity from prosecution in exchange for cooperating with the state attorney general's office, Paukovits estimated that campaign-related matters consumed 40 to 60 percent of the time for which taxpayers were compensating him to work on public issues.
He said the political work he and other programmers did was directed and supervised by aides to former Rep. John Perzel, who served as House GOP leader and speaker. They include others who were granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for their cooperation.
Paukovits did not incriminate any of the defendants.
Under cross-examination by Preski's lawyer, he acknowledged that he never received any direct instructions from Preski and that he did not tell Preski about his campaign activity.
The defendants are all charged with multiple counts of theft, conflict of interest and conspiracy.
Feese and Seaman also are charged with hindering apprehension and obstruction.
No investigation on senate bonuses has been conducted by Frank Fina for over 5 years.
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