Pa. Attorney General Aide Found Guilty Of Contempt Of Court
By Jim Melwert
NORRISTOWN, Pa., (CBS) -- A top aide to embattled Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane has been found guilty of criminal contempt of court.
Montgomery County Judge William Carpenter found defendant Patrick Reese guilty.
Reese, described by high-ranking members of the Attorney General's office as one of the employees closest to Kathleen Kane, is found guilty of violating a protective order issued by Judge Carpenter in reference to the grand jury that was investigating Kane for leaking privileged information. Reese violated that order when he searched the office email archival system for information directly related to the grand jury investigation.
His defense attorney argued Reese was never served with this protective order, and that he was only searching emails to try to determine leaks to the press were coming from the office of the Attorney General.
But the prosecution argued – and Judge Carpenter agreed – that Reese was so close to Kane that, in the words of prosecutor Tom McGoldrick, it was "inconceivable" that Reese was unaware of this protective order. Also, in his closing argument, McGoldrick said at least one of these searches was done to try to get dirt on the special investigator appointed to the Kane case, and also his wife. And McGoldrick argued, Reese was getting this information on the grand jury, information that is supposed to be top secret, in real time, by snooping through office emails, and then giving that information to Kathleen Kane, who was the target of the investigation.
Reese is found guilty and is released on bail pending his sentencing.
His attorney says an appeal will be filed at the appropriate time to Pennsylvania superior court.
