Read the full editorial in today’s Inquirer
The guilty verdict against former Democratic State Rep. Michael R. Veon in an illegal bonus scheme proves the shameful extent of Harrisburg’s corrupt culture.
Veon, 53, was no small fry in the legislature. He represented Beaver County for 22 years. For much of that time, he was the second-ranking House Democrat and the power behind the throne of party leader Bill DeWeese.
Today, Veon stands convicted by a jury of 13 felony charges and one misdemeanor for handing out illegal, taxpayer-funded bonuses to staffers as rewards for political campaign work. He also was convicted of requiring aides to perform personal tasks for him on state time.
Attorney General Tom Corbett charged Veon and others with doling out $1.4 million in government bonuses during the Democrats’ drive to win back the House majority from 2004 to 2006. Two former top aides to Veon also were convicted of some charges; one staffer was acquitted.
Democratic partisans are taking perverse satisfaction from the jury’s acquitting Veon on 45 other criminal charges, including accusations that Democrats deployed state employees to derail the third-party presidential campaign of Ralph Nader in 2004. Critics claim these “not guilty” verdicts diminish Republican Corbett’s crusade against the legislature and undermine his campaign for governor.
This just in – there’s no comfort for Pennsylvania’s taxpayers in this case. A powerful public servant has been found guilty of conspiring to steal tax dollars to ensure his party’s success at the polls. It’s precisely the sort of arrogance and waste that has sickened citizens about their state government in recent years.
Tags: Bonusgate, Mike Veon, Mike Veon guilty
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