But since fraud charges were filed last December against Sue Skotnicki, 53, of Camp Hill, she's made a clean break with her past.

Both Assistant U.S. Attorney John Pease and defense attorney Catherine Recker recommended a sentence of probation and suggested that Skotnicki's post-offense behavior was a template for other guilty defendants.

Skotnicki was praised for admitting her guilt quickly, making full restitution before sentencing and cooperating with the government in the Fumo prosecution and other matters.

Pease told U.S. District Judge Anita Brody that it was one of the few times in his career that he had not recommended a prison sentence for a defendant found guilty.

Recker said Skotnicki had "completely and utterly turned her back" on her criminal conduct and had done everything to make amends for her crime.

Skotnicki, who now cares for a mother-in-law suffering from Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia, told Brody that she was "ashamed" of her crime and that she had "betrayed the trust" of Senate colleagues.

To make amends, she told Brody that she had even met personally with the clerk of the Senate to explain how she scammed the Senate.

Skotnicki said that she felt that it was important for Senate staff to hear from her directly so that they might be better primed to deter those contemplating similar schemes.

Brody said that Skotnicki deserved credit for taking that step.

Skotnicki was charged within weeks of the statute of limitations' running out on her offense.

Authorities said that Skotnicki, who had worked for Fumo at his Capitol office since 1978, submitted phony invoices for meals for Fumo at La Veranda, in Penn's Landing. The feds said that the false invoices amounted to $70,000, covering 100 meals between January 2001 and December 2003.

The feds estimated the actual cost of the meals at little more than $12,000. After the Senate cut reimbursement checks, Skotnicki deposited them into Fumo's account and wrote 99 checks payable to herself for $66,000 and additional checks to her creditors for almost $3,900.

The fraud was costly to Skotnicki, who resigned from her $103,169-a-year state job and subsequently forfeited a state pension that Recker estimated yesterday was worth about $1 million.

Fumo, serving a 55-month prison sentence for corruption, was a frequent guest at La Veranda. He was not charged with wrongdoing in the Skotnicki case.