Fumo, again? Really?
Do we really have to face another round of Fumo drama? Isn't one bite of the legal apple enough?
Fumo, again? Really?
John Baer, Daily News Political Columnist
I'm not a lawyer nor an advocate for former Democratic South Philly state Sen. Vince Fumo, but there's something bothersome about the government's continued pursuit of the one-time political powerhouse after his trial, sentencing and as he sits in a federal prison in Ashland, Kentucky.
A ruling yesterday by a federal appeals court tossing Fumo's sentence of 4 years, 7 months imposed by U.S. District Senior Judge Ronald Buckwalter in July 2009 sets up the possibility Fumo could face 20 years.
At 68, and given his history of health issues, that easily could mean the rest of his life.
The panel threw the case back to Buckwalter to explain his sentence. He could do so and keep it intact, or he could impose a new, longer term.
There are, without question, a great many who applaud the government's insistence on a harsher sentence and believe Fumo deserves far more jail time than the now-74 year-old Buckwalter originally assigned.
And nearly everyone was surprised at that sentence. Fumo, after all, was convicted on each of 137 fraud and obstruction counts, and Buckwalter hardly brought the profile of a softy to the bench. He's from Lancaster County, one of the most conservative Republican areas in America. He was appointed back in 1989 by GOP President George H.W. Bush.
Fumo, you'll recall, was convicted of defrauding the state Senate, a nonprofit group he established and a museum of millions of dollars and using his government and non-profit staff for personal and political chores, including spying on an ex-girlfriend and getting rid of possibiliy incriminating emails amid rumors of an investigation.
But Buckwalter cited Fumo's "extraordinary" public service, a reference to Fumo's ability to bring millions of dollars to Philly for worthy projects through his power in politics and in the Legislature.
I always wondered why Fumo's jury wasn't sequestered during his five-month trial, especially since it came to light that one juror was commenting on Facebook and another heard, during the trial, about a prior Fumo conviction (later overturned). I also wonder, given the years and expensive the government invested in this case, when is enough enough?
The government had its shot, got its man and he sits in prison. Surely there are other bad actors to go after. Why go through another round of Fumo drama? How is the public served by the heavy-handed pursuit of one disgraced politician already imprisoned.
John Baer is exactly the kind of blind bozo that crooks like Fumo love having around, writing his support for political scumbags. Buckwalter is a senile POS and shold be euthanized for his contempt of the law and inexcusable slap on the wrist to the dirtiest politician in Pennsylvania history. Fumo deserves to die in jail!— younged- Travesty! Absolute travesty! Not that bada-bing only got 55 months but that nearly his entire entourage escaped the grasp of the federales! Rubin. Richie the Crum. Both escaped. Both hiding in cubicles in the main building. Well, not both of them. Rubin the FELON for instance has taken a strange liking to towing companies who received multi-million dollar contracts from the pike with their 'winning bids'. It's probably just a coincidence then that the very same towing company gave heavily to Fumo's coffers! Tens of thousands! Feds should turn the lights on at the turnpike and watch the freeloading "Fumo Five" scatter like cockroaches! (you other three didn't think I forgot about you, did you?) Be careful though. "Richie the Crum" is a tricky little devil! He can slip through the thinnest of cracks. Unfortunately their usually attached to somebody! The whole building of political hacks needs to be Fumo-gated! No pun intended!— PTC WATCHDOG
- The way you punish the rich is take away what is most important to them....MONEY......Give Fumo the maximum fine allowable by law.— PhillyTerm
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BubbaRockwell,
His sentence is not 40 days as you assert. Do the math.
55 months X 30 days (avg. days in month) = 1,650
Divide 1,650 days by 137 convicted count = 12.04 days per guilty count
No, in this case, justice was not served. He was convicted and now is going through an appeals process. It works both ways.
Gary J. English
avigilantone@yahoo.com— avigilantone - And Corey Kemp got 10 years?????????— elfman
- It’s too obvious that so many comments are pro Fumo.
We have a Fumo connected screener of the comments.
— Jack O 
Fumo deserves a much, much larger sentence for sheer arrogance, let alone setting the precedence to be used by any other crook.— hilite98- Im impressed Mr.Baer standing on principals.
As I have written many times before, I’m an old and tired man and did NOT attend the trial however I was a dear friend of his Fathers so I had my Grandson print out the testimony every day from the trial and not the revolve the Inquirer had and still continues to put on it. HE DID NOT TAKE A BRIBE LIKE MARIANO
HE DID NOT SELL HIS OFFICE why do you continue to compare the crimes. The Inquirer continues to poison their readers what a sad time it is for our world. Thank God I don’t have much time left and in the blogs to follow this Im sure you will all tell me to die sooner than later. Very, Very sad Fumo got a raw deal. The government are best friends with the newspaper so they will never give the real truth.
Now lets see if they have the grit to print this.
— topaj
— topaj - Your anti-government rant is abolutely boneheaded. When did you join the Tea Party? Fumo's sentencing is indefensible. Buckwalter should be disciplined, if not removed. I was among the many who were so offended by this miscarriage of justice that I wrote
Washington to urge that this matter be appealed. This was my money! You claim not to be an advocate for Fumo. Looks that way to me.— bigredtuna - Being disgraced is not a sentence nor is bringing money to the city of Philadelphia a sufficient punishment for a person that should have known better. He was a politician/lawyer and knew what the consequences were for stealing "other peoples money". Stop making excuses.— jerryk2b
- Was it the prosecution that asked for the appeal? I have yet to read who did ask for it. Anyway, a judge shouldn't move away from sentencing guidelines just because "he was a nice guy." Sure he brought a lot of money into Philly, and then he proceeded to steal half of it! If a food bank collects a bunch of food, and then the people running it took a bunch of the food home for themselves, people may be a little upset.— verve
- fumo should get the time for the crime.— etbarksdale
If you lock up all the Vince Fumo's of the world, only the rich will be able to get access to politicians. If Vince were not already around, it would be necessary to invent a replacement. We're not talking about Hamid Karzai here. Didn't the Feds close down Arthur Anderson because somebody had a shredding fetish? Overkill. Prosecutors answer to nobody. Move on.— r a leon- Very weak column John. I find it very amusing to read the comments by barely disguised pols who advocate a minimum sentence for Vince. The sentence was embarrassingly low and should result in a review of Buckwalter by the ethics panel. Convicted felons feel they should get minor sentences are becoming afraind that the populace is catching on to their antics and are being spurred to action. Give Vince the max and pass a law that any pol convicted of a felony should receive double the penalty.— StorminNorman
- Legal precedence is everything, people. If a man convincted of 137 counts can get just 55 months in prison, that will be the basis for sentencing arguments by countless defense attorneys down the road. What happens in one case affects every other similar case down the road.— DarthFlyer
- Who cares if he dies in prison? Not me.— 420-24-7
- If you've written an article on how outrageous the discrepancy is between the Fumo and Kemp sentences then you might have a point.
But something tells me you didn't...— criticalmindsz - This article is spot on. We need to put this whole drama past us.— jnixon05
- I can not agree with your perspective on Vincent Fumo's sentence. Another fix is what it looks like. In fairness to all the others that got the opportunity to take public dollars, feed themselves, and cry "old age" and I didn't mean it, pay the fine and do the time. A lot of people die in prison and if is the price - so be it. It doesn't feel close to the government chasing an innocent man.— Jack of PA
- mike l: the point is, the punishment should fit the crime. you're points are all red herrings and don't really address the true issue. Did Fumo get the appropriate sentence (40 days per count)?— BubbaRockwell
- And keeping Fumo in longer will do what? You think political corruption will stop if he ends up dying in prison with t alonger sentence? Sure, just like the death penalty deters murderers. You can argue that we don't execute anyone here in PA, where the death penalty is legal. Okay, but it is also legal in Texas and they knock off someone every couple of weeks and, like the loaves and fishes, never run out of people to fill death row.— mike l
- His sentence equates to 40 days in prison per charge convicted. Does 40 days in prison seem fair for obstruction of justice? Is 40 days in prison fair for corruption? Seems like a VERY light sentence to me.— BubbaRockwell
- Bravo on this column. I understand that the feds spent $14 million to prosecute Fumo. A bit much - and more than they said he had taken.
How about some prosecutions of drug lords? The feds are elected by no one, so they should avoid a dictator appearance.— joseph shay stivala - Agree John. With all the garbage going on in PA why do these prosecutors waste so much tax money resentencing Fumo??? Ok guys, you won and now why not move on and prosecute another pos politician? One day in jail is enough to disgrace and
punish this ego. Nothing gained for society asking for more but it sure will waste a lot more money just to satisfy the hate these attorneys feel for Fumo. They had better never get caught doing anything illegal....— stoneman - This attitude is precisely why there are so many criminals holding elective office. He should be put away for life.— Ogey Oglethorpe
- Couldn't agree more, Ogey. Baer is just another apologist. — OldCityJoe
- Excellent column. The answer may lie in the prosecutors' reputations for being vengeful and vindictive. Otherwise, what is to be gained by attempting to get a 20 year+ sentence? It is unlikely that Judge Buckwalter will substantially increase the entence, if at all.— blipster
- The light sentence is an insufficient deterrent to others.— NotADoneDeal
- John,
I have to disagree with you. This was a crime inside a crime. You see when you are a politician you take an oath office,and that alone should hold you to a higher standard. That being said the judge should have sentenced Mr.scumbag Fumo to a much harsher sentence. But I guess that oath of office to scumbags like Fumo means nothing. Less we forget he was found guilty of a 137 counts. The judge in this case should resign. Because it is quite obvious that there is more than meets the eye here.— Jules Ertler
John is the author of the book "On The Front Lines of Pennsylvania Politics: Twenty-Five Years of Keystone Reporting" (The History Press, 2012). Reach John at baerj@phillynews.com.
