Sentencing Day For Former Pennsylvania House Speaker John Perzel
By Tony Romeo
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) - Former state House speaker John Perzel of Philadelphia will be sentenced Wednesday for his role as the alleged "architect" of a scheme to use millions of dollars in taxpayer resources for political work.
Perzel and several others who were associated with the state House Republican caucus were charged in a scheme that centered on the development and use of taxpayer-funded computer technology for campaign use.
Two people were convicted in court; seven others, including Perzel, have entered guilty pleas. On Tuesday, three of those who pled guilty – Samuel Stokes, Perzel's brother-in-law and a former House employee, Don McLintock, a former Perzel campaign worker, and Paul Towhey, Perzel's former chief of staff – were fined and given sentences of probation and community service.
"These were lower-level participants and they cooperated in really dramatic and significant ways," Prosecutor Frank Fina says.
In addition to Perzel, another former chief of staff – Brian Preski – will also be sentenced Wednesday in a Harrisburg courtroom.
