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HARRISBURG – A lawyer for two defendants in the Bonusgate corruption scandal is attempting to turn the tables on Attorney General Tom Corbett, accusing him in court documents of the very activities he is prosecuting.
In motions filed in Dauphin County Court, lawyer Joshua Lock asked a judge to dismiss charges against former State Reps. Steve Stetler (D., York) and Brett Feese (R., Lycoming) and to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Corbett for “misconduct.”
Among the 48 exhibits Lock attached to his motions were records reportedly showing that Corbett routinely used his campaign cell phone to contact staff in the Attorney General’s Office during state work hours. He also alleges that top aides of Corbett’s have jumped back and fourth over the years between state and campaign payrolls.
“At a minimum, his conduct is hypocritical,” said Lock, a Harrisburg lawyer known for his aggressive defense strategies. “He has compromised this entire process and has violated everyone’s rights.”
And, borrowing from allegations of other Bonusgate defense lawyers, Lock accused Corbett, a Republican, of using the scandal to inflate his political resume and his chances of becoming Pennsylvania’s next governor.
“It seems abundantly clear that this is a function of his political ambitions,” Lock said.
Corbett’s press secretary, Kevin Harley, called the accusations a “bogus” attempt to manufacture a defense.
“It’s simple. When you don’t have a plausible defense, accuse your accuser,” said Harley, adding that Corbett would rebut each of the allegations in court briefs.
Most of the motion’s allegations stem from Corbett’s 2008 reelection bid for attorney general. However, some relate to his campaign for governor.
One exhibit, for example, is a newspaper clip with a photo of Corbett touring a factory during a campaign stop in Luzerne County. Behind him is his state-paid driver – evidence, Lock maintains, that the taxpayers were underwriting at least a portion of that campaign event.
To date, Corbett has charged 25 people in his three-year corruption probe of the legislature. The first to be swept up were a dozen people tied to the House Democratic caucus.
Ten of them have pleaded guilty or have been convicted of conflict of interest, theft, and conspiracy counts, including former Rep. Mike Veon (D., Beaver). A jury found him guilty of 14 counts Monday after a six-week trial.
Tags: Bonusgate, Tom Corbett
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