UPDATE: Mistrial declared according to the AP.
The trial of state Sen. Jane Orie took a fascinating turn today when an irate Judge Jeffrey Manning agreed with the prosecution that certain signatures from documents submitted by the defense team for Orie had been doctored as reported by James O’Toole of the Post-Gazette.
“Ray Charles could see that signature was doctored,” the Judge said. He ordered that the jury deliberations be halted and a handwriting analyst be brought in to analyze the documents in question. The possibility of a mistrial was acknowledged by the Judge.
The signatures were of former Orie aide Jamie Pavlot who testified during the trial that she did not recognize all of the documents that had her signature on them.
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9 Responses
So, far not One Republican Senator has been investigated for Bonusgate, it took the Allegheny District Attorney to investigate Senator Jane.
How could Corbett’s Attorney General Office never revealed the Republican Senmators Investigations after 5 years?
If Senator Orie was doing thes things what do the other Republican Senators have to hide as well as Corbett and the Assistant Attorney Generals have much to be ashamed of, do they not?
Hey, Can anyone explain how these documents got to the jury? They seem clearly forged and the judge clearly agree but then how did everyone miss it when they were admitted as evidence?
I have no dog in this fight, but I do know this. SOMEBODY on the defense team is in a lot of trouble–either the lawyers or the defendants–and I doubt that a serious man like Mr Costopolous would ever take this risk. Falsifying evidence is obstruction of justice–period. These people are in serious trouble–and no longer does this have to do whether or not political campaigning was done on state time.
Its always the coverup that gets you—ask Richard Nixon–some people never learn.
I seem to recall that the Orie team tried to get these into evidence by cross exam of the government witness. However she said she did not recall or identify those documents. It seems likely that if they got into evidence, Jane had to identify these documents as legitimate documents and correspondence.
I bet there’s a little perjury here.
No scruples at all. Perfect definition of a crooked politician.
Look at the documents on the post gazette site. Pretty blatant that they forged that.
This was just a political witch hunt by Zappala anyways, in return for putting Veon behind bars.Good for jane. One of the most honest, moral people I have ever met. Doesn’t surprise me that the other side would go after her.
What a corrupt motion. There should be a prohibition on such motions after a jury had begun deliberating. Would they really have moved for a mistrial after the return of a guilty verdict? Since the jury didn’t return a guilty verdict, the prosecution took the opportunity to seat a second jury.
R U kidding me…SHe is guilty and all her and her sisters friends are going to do anything for a mistrial and then it will be swept under the rug..HANG HER
Okay, time to pull the plug. Time for Jane to resign or be expelled.