A former House speaker, an ex-lawmaker and eight aides Thursday became the latest -- and the first Republicans -- to be charged in a 3-year-old investigation into the diversion of public resources and employees to legislative campaigns.
Attorney General Tom Corbett said that individuals within the House GOP caucus spent millions of taxpayer dollars on computer technology to gain an upper hand in campaigns, and that investigators can prove that some high-ranking officials and their employees tried to cover up their part.
The charges of theft, conspiracy, conflict of interest and obstruction of justice, and an accompanying 188-page grand jury report, were released Thursday, and the defendants were scheduled to turn themselves in Friday at a Dauphin County district judge's office.
The most prominent defendant is state Rep. John M. Perzel, R-Philadelphia, who served as speaker for nearly four years and as majority leader for nearly a decade before that.
Corbett described Perzel as "aggressive in the acquisition and retention of power" and accused him of punishing fellow Republicans who voted against him on legislation with "dirty tricks" that included anonymous, taxpayer-paid robocalls to tarnish their image among voters in their districts.
Perzel has been among his party's most prolific fund-raisers and key campaign strategists for more than a decade. He relinquished the speakership in 2007 after Democrats regained control of the House, and he is currently the ranking Republican on the Urban Affairs Committee.
Perzel insisted on his innocence and questioned the motives of Corbett -- who is seeking the 2010 GOP gubernatorial nomination -- in a written statement released through his lawyer:
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"First and foremost, I am innocent of the charges against me. I have faithfully served the people of my district, my city and my state for more than 30 years, and I have never used public funds for my personal or political gain.
Second, this investigation has lasted for nearly three years, and it’s only now, on the eve of his gubernatorial campaign and in response to claims that he was unfairly pursuing only Democrats, that Attorney General Corbett has decided to bring charges against 10 Republicans, including me. It smacks of political opportunism at the expense of my reputation, and I am going to fight very aggressively to prove my innocence."
Also charged in the ongoing grand jury probe were Perzel's former chief of staff, Philadelphia attorney Brian Preski; and Brett Feese, a Perzel ally and former state representative who resigned last week as the House GOP caucus' chief counsel.
Prosecutors said Perzel and Preski led an illegal effort to marshal voter data mining, computer software and similar services to buttress GOP campaign efforts. The grand jury calculated that the House Republican caucus spent more than $20 million between 2000 and 2007 to help its candidates prevail.
Campaign work by some House GOP information technology employees became pervasive, and Corbett said the constituent-services operations that reach across the state became, in effect, an arm of the campaign committee.
Preski's lawyer, Hayes Hunt, said after a preliminary review of the charges that he was confident Preski would be exonerated.
Corbett recounted a series of contempt hearings in which his agents sought a judge's help in getting House Republican leaders to produce requested information. Feese was accused of creating false, after-the-fact handwritten meeting notes in an effort to conceal his actions, Corbett said.
A message seeking comment from Feese's lawyer, Josh Lock, was not immediately returned.
Corbett said efforts to hide or fabricate evidence made the investigation, which began in 2007, significantly longer and more expensive.
"You're interfering with justice; you're interfering with people finding out with what truly happened," Corbett said.
The other defendants are Perzel aides Paul Towhey and John Zimmerman, former Perzel aides Sam "Buzz" Stokes and Don McClintock, former Feese aides Al Bowman and Jill A. Seaman; and former House GOP technology office employee Eric Ruth.
Zimmerman and Seaman, the only current caucus employees, were placed on unpaid leave Thursday, a spokesman said.
Seaman declined to comment. Attempts to reach the others or their lawyers were not successful.
Sixteen months ago, Corbett's office charged a dozen people connected to the House Democratic caucus, including former Democratic Whip Michael Veon, with similar offenses. The central allegation in that case, however, is different, involving the alleged use of bonuses to fund campaign work with public funds.
At least five of the Democratic-linked defendants have signed guilty plea agreements, and trial for the remaining defendants is scheduled for December and January.
Corbett said the investigation was continuing but declined to say whether any current or former state House members have testified before the grand jury under a grant of immunity, as at least some current caucus employees have done.
