For time being, Fumo cashes in on pension

HARRISBURG - Former State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo will soon make much more sitting in a courtroom defending himself against federal corruption charges than he did as a legislator.

State pension officials recently authorized Fumo's request to begin collecting $8,421.27 monthly in retirement benefits.

The 65-year-old Philadelphia Democrat chose to collect the monthly checks soon after he left office Nov. 30. It works out to $101,055 annually, or nearly $25,000 more than he made as a legislator.

But it might not last long.

Former lawmakers forfeit their pensions upon conviction for certain crimes that relate to their official duties. The long list of offenses includes theft and obstruction of justice, which make up the bulk of the charges against Fumo.

Even if convicted, however, Fumo would still get to keep what he contributed to his pension over the years, but not any accrued interest, which often makes up the bulk of retirement benefits. It's unclear how much Fumo has put into the system in his 30 1/2 years as a senator and six earlier years as a state bureaucrat.

During a break at his trial yesterday, Fumo declined comment about his pension payments.

He is charged with 139 federal counts alleging, among other things, that he defrauded the Senate and a South Philadelphia nonprofit for personal and political gain.

The onetime political power broker maintains his innocence and has spent the last three months in court defending himself against the allegations.

Legislative pensions in Pennsylvania are based in part on the average of the three highest annual salaries and years of service. They are widely considered generous, especially considering that the private sector has increasingly moved away from pensions in recent years.

When Fumo announced in March that he was not seeking another term, The Inquirer estimated that he would upon retirement be eligible for a yearly pension as high as $104,000. Responding to a Right-to-Know request by the paper, state retirement officials yesterday released more specific details of Fumo's pension.

If Fumo hasn't received his first payment by now, he will soon, said Robert Gentzel, a spokesman for the State Employees' Retirement System.

Typically, former legislators cannot earn more in pension than they did while serving in office. Fumo's case is an anomaly.

In 2005, Fumo was one of many House and Senate members to accept the controversial legislative pay raise. He later returned the money, but for accounting purposes, it put his salary over six figures for that year, thereby raising his pension ceiling.

Upon his indictment in February 2007, Fumo stepped down as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee. As a result, his annual state salary dove from $93,000 to about $76,000.