Former House Speaker Perzel To Plead Guilty In Corruption Case

HARRISBURG (CBS) -Former Pennsylvania House Speaker John Perzel of Philadelphia has decided to plead guilty just days before the scheduled start of his corruption trial in Harrisburg.

The charges against John Perzel and several others associated with the state House Republican caucus are part of the investigation more broadly known as "Bonusgate" because it began with a probe of legislative staffers allegedly being given bonuses for campaign work.

That probe has already produced the conviction of the former number-two man in the House Democratic caucus, Mike Veon.

In Perzel's case, the allegations involved the alleged misuse of computer and other technology paid for by taxpayers but instead used for political purposes. A brief, one-sentence order issued by a judge in Harrisburg says only that Perzel and another defendant are now scheduled to enter guilty pleas Wednesday afternoon. The attorney general's office has no comment on the order.

Reported by Tony Romeo, KYW Newsradio 1060