He has not sold his office. BS! Those crimes where to old for the feds to prosecute him on. His slogan was "We get sh_t done." It should of read "We get Sh_t done for $10,000."
I've really appreciated the Ink doing a live blog of this trial. There were trolls for Fumo, but there was enough space for the little guy also to come on line and say, hey, Philly Democrats, are you Rhianna? Get a life! Don't go back, you idiots!
Fumo didn't just sell his office, and participate in theft of and conspiracy to commit theft of public services, and other high crimes and misdemeanors. He sold his affections. Women cost money, but men made money for Fumo. Fumo's secret man love and contributor is the kind of lurid downplay of the normally PC Dems in this town that shows how deep the denial of the dirt is. Fumo would take all comers if there was a dollar to be made. There are more scrupulous ladies of the evening.
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Is Mr Cogan delivering a defense for Fumo,or presenting his argument for his sainthood? Someone should tell him he's not at the Vatican.
term limits. vote all incrumbents out
Gotta have term limits. Look at the GOP afraid of bloated Rush Limbaugh and his statement that he hopes O'Bama fails.
Fumo is a lawyer and knows what he did is wrong. To commit a crime you need "mens rea" criminal intent and "actus rea" which means an act. Just remember that equine faced mensa member laughing when the bill came as he was using other people's money "OPM." Intent and act = GUILTY.
"A person who in good faith honestly believes that what he is doing is not wrongful" is not guilty." . . . oh is life were only this simple.
Is this a nomination speech for President of the U.S.? Fumo was out to get ALL he could at others expense. He did everything and more. It's amazing Cogan never mentioned ANY of these points during the trial but now that no one can object to his fantasyland closing remarks, he is reciting a speech written by Fumo!
cogan asks "what was he thinking" i'll tell you what he was thinking, how fast can iget my hands on that 17mill. no cover=up bull!! mr.mensa thought he could out smart the feds. i wonder who took the mensa test for him certainly not ruth arno.
Fumo would never accept normal accounting standards, much less the law governing elected officials' use of contributions, what constitutes a gift, or the reality that shake downs kill the interest of good businesses coming into Philly to provide jobs. No wonder the locals feel the "government" must provide all the jobs -- the local economy is that blighted by the expectation of pay to play, of old-time graft. Philly's Fumo belongs in film noir.
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Vince and Cogan don't seem to be on the same page. Vince says "I'm an enormously sophisticated person who's moving so fast and so effectively, that the little guy can neither see nor comprehend my ninja-like ability to serve the public." Cogan is saying that Vince is unable to comprehend the dictates of normal office policy in a climate of legal requirements to preserve or answer to inquiry associated with public office, or any office, and relied upon continuous but conflicting instruction which is clear to the rest of the world, but a hopeless muddle in Fumo world. Which is it?
Fumo criticized the good government advocates who cried foul over Fumo's requirements for huge contributions to the closed Citizen's Alliance charity for his reversal of seeming whimsical opposition to things that benefited the area, like Ikea. Fumo called those good government advocates "naive" in his newsletter explaining first his total opposition, then his total support of PECO and Ikea doing work in South Philly. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn't shake Fumo's assertion that it was "naive" to "squander" an opportunity to get a business to "show" how committed it was to "doing business." Until Harrisburg breaks this with real legislation with teeth, the FBI will still have a lot of work do to here. In honor of Fumo, the bill should be named after him.
I don't know every detail about Sen.Fumo but what I do know is that Philadelphia is a better place because of him. No one realizes how much he has done for his city..my city..my home. It is very sad when I read the paper and the negative comments posted on this site. He was not just a Senator..he was a great Senator who provided all that he could for his city...and people forget that. I'm not saying he is right or wrong, all I'm saying is that people should sit and think about all the great things he has done for Philadelphia instead of just immediately turning their backs on him. His job as a Senator was to make Philadelphia a better place. However, he far exceeded that role. He made his job his life..providing as much as he could for Philadelphia..he went above and beyond what his job required..and I hope people read this and remember that.
Fumo is trying to put his own "spin" on everything. For a man with a high IQ, a law degree, an astute businessman, he still believes he is innocent because he did not have the "intent" to defraud. He must really believe that the law does not apply to him because he is Vince Fumo, and brings the dollars to the city. If he took on PECO as both a legislator and rate payer, why didn't the $17 million he negotiated with PECO go to Citizen's Alliance, instead of all the other PECO ratepayers?????
Evil Vince will appeal,that can strecht up to 30 mo of freedom while he spills his gut out on Rendell.In 92 I witnessed John Stanfa and 2 bodyguards,all 3 wearing black leather jackets exiting Fumo's office on Tasker St, I did a double-take,positive ID,stupid,arrogant,I said to myself,that alone incriminates him
philaphillieswc, well said and agreed
hey philaPhillies WC if you know so much do remember his first federal trail back in 84 he was found guilty of placing no-show emploees on the state and city payrolls when sentencing day came the judge over turned the jury. mr. mensa is wishing lightening will strike twice. vinnie pack your bag for a long time your gona need it.
Guilty....again!
The good overwhelms the bad in this case. Free Vince. I do remember.
Can I come over and take a dump on Cogan's lawn too?
La Diva - I mean Roseanne P., I wouldn't quit your day job yet....oh thats right you have 2 day jobs....Now go get the "Sen's" cleaning on last time!
This guy took and took and took. He is NO man! Look at what he did to ALL of his family! Lets put the cards on the table here. He is what he is, a bad man regretting stepping on and over the people in his life. Guilty or not guilty he was made a fool of for 5 months. Everything people thought he was went in the toilet. No image, no tough guy, nothing. So whether he is home for the next 7 years or in prison, his reputation is gone forever.
WTFG! FRANK D YOU SAID A MOUTH FULL
hey old 39th...i clearly said i don't know much about sen. fumo.i know he did alot for my city. Why are you so hung up on him anyway? Get over it..this whole thing is long and a waste of tax payers money.Why are you wasting your time making sure you announce he is such a bad person..you act as though he is soooooo bad..omg.send him to jail..start worrying about where the real crime is buddy..this is all nonsense bs....
the good outweighs any bad [there isnt any bad] free VINCE go after magid and meehen they are not 100%.mensa1 and evan31 you are taking this very personal it is only politics.
With everything else aside there has been one very interesting dynamic that I have seen here for the last 5 months. Cogan has tried and tried and tried to downplay and refute Mr. Marrone's testimony and they have failed over and over again. The last colossal failure being in the form of Bruce "Better Than Thou" Castor. That tells me one thing, that Mr. Marrone was not only credible but that Fumo was out to get him too.
oh yea and by the way..mensa1..your talking about what he did to his family..when you probably don't know anything. It is not the government or our business to judge what goes on in a household..and by you saying that about him and his family..just shows what kind of a man/woman you are...who are you to judge anyway?..sorry but that's no ones business about his family..im sure there are reasons that we dont know about..and not your, mine, or the governments business to judge about his family
Yes PhilaPhillesWC - think of all he did - with OUR MONEY!! You speak of it as if he spent HIS money - he didn't - and was as greedy as they come. Jail time is in order for him - and anyone else you flaunts the rule of law as he did.
yea I did JW..why don't you take a walk around south philly and see all the things he had done for OUR community..a library .a school...to better OUR commununity..thats what really counts here....he made philadelpia a better place to live and provided resources for our families and children that was not available before.so get your facts straight, and go take a walk..to south phily
philaphilliesWC iagree you just made me a phillies fan
He deserves a long jail sentence where he can think about OPM.
WhatGoesAround..that's nice send someone to jail who has been such a great Senator for this city..because of stupid bs that is wasting our taxpayers money just to be made an example out of..you should go take a walk too along with JW..to south philly to see where that money went..like I said..oh wait.a library..a school..all the things people like you forget about!
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In Harrisburg they could never trust anything that Vince said or did...and any one in Philly who thinks that he served them well doesn't understand the kind of smooth/fast talking slick politico like Vince has done on issues that really effect the city. If you have a Senator representing the cities interest and you can't trust him to give you a truthfull answer or in a pinch has to resort to trikery and political magic tricks to get his way...then why should you wonder when you cry wolf that no one in Harrisburg listens or cares about the cities needs, wows or problems are...what I get from Cogan's defense of Vince is that he admits to only doing half of what the prosecutors said he did and that half he did wrong was either owed to him for doing a great job or was just a small mistake which he apoligixes for...give me a break...if it was me pulling all these stunts I'd be looking at 20 plus years...Viunce believes he lives by different rules and is to be judged by a different standard.
phillykidinruraPa..do you live in Philadelphia?..because if you don't please don't comment.
If people in Philly didn't think they served them well they would not have re-elected him for so many years...i think they would have got the picture a long time ago..so obviously he must have done ALOT OF GOOD TO BE RE-ELECTED OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN
Hey PhilaPhiiliesWC You're right...he's a saint. Wrote a letter to the Baldwin school to keep her out, gave money to her opponent in a political race that had NOTHING to do with him, illegally read and printed her emails...you want me to keep going. Don't lecture me on judging a family. I'm judging the "man" based off of his OWN admissions!
There are a lot of us that think the entire bogus case stinks and reeks of a targeted political vendetta. Fumo worked, he was no vactioner, and he was very powerful, someone didn't like that...Acquit him and send a strong message to those that have unfairly crucified him.
Hey moron I'm from South Philly and Fumo is a nasty, backstabbing, what's in it for me person. PhilaPhilliesWC thinks because he or she is from South Philly they know it all. I'm here too! The corruption is wild and he is at the forefront of it. The Liar and The Viper both go down together.
The mayor is closing the Fumo Family Library!! Fumo only wants Charter Schools....you know why..... he makes $$$$$$. Don't spout off at the mouth because you think you know what is going on!
Julio..moron? real mature.I'm really going to listen to you..obviously no class..no wonder you don't like Vince just hear yourself..we should really put the law in your hands with people who have no class calling someone a moron on the internet..grow up..obviously your one of those people.hater along with mensa..you both need to stop taking this so personal..and julio needs to read a book from the fumo library to make him sound like he has an education and his comment means something
Julio..moron? real mature.I'm really going to listen to you..obviously no class..no wonder you don't like Vince just hear yourself..we should really put the law in your hands with people who have no class calling someone a moron on the internet..grow up..obviously your one of those people.hater along with mensa..you both need to stop taking this so personal..and julio needs to read a book from the fumo library to make him sound like he has an education and his comment means something
Julio just proves what eva is saying...Fumo worked, he was no vactioner, and he was very powerful, someone didn't like that...someone like julio
PhilaPhilliesWC you make it sound like it's ok if he broke the law as long as he did good for the city...with all due respect this is an absurd way of thinking. If Senator Fumo broke the law then he should pay the price regardless of any good his has done for his district . . . anything less is unjust for all the people of Philadelphia. If he is free from all guilt then let the jury decide. Also, a man's reputation is always deeply rooted in how he treats his family and friends. If a man beats his wife we call him a wife beater and this person is scorned by the community. What Fumo did to his family and friends will always be the measure of who he really is a a person...this is not judgment but a fact of human nature.
I am not saying that at all..but you do not know what happened what him and his family..you know what they want you to hear and what the paper and lawyers say..unless you are him or his daughter you won' knw the truth.and i am not saying that he should not be left unpunished all i'm saying is he is being made an example out of the goverment where everyone else in politics does the same thing..it doesnt make it right..but dont just single him out..I read these comments on here..send him off to jail for 20 years..are you kidding me? the man just had a heart attack and he is not in good health. what kind of people does that make us to do that to someone...probably spend the rest of his life in jail...how can you so easily want to send someone to jail who you know will probably spend their last days there..did he do that much wrong to live the rest of his life that way? no.punishment fine...but we should not treat an individual that way...what he did was not that bad to receive that kind of punishment for people just to say send him to jail for life...that is cruel and unfair..and if we do that it shows what kind of people we are
Please stop replying to PhilaPhillies he is a Fumo guy who works at 8th and Tasker! This was an easy one to uncover!
Actually Frank. I'm a female and am a college student..wow..really easy to uncover.are you a mensa?
I enjoy this blog because unlike national politics you really get to see the raw side of local views. Fumo has alot of supporters it seems and alot of enemies as well. The one thing though that I noticed and noone wants to bring up is the culture of corruption that surrounds this entire mess. The Seaport Museum, Citizens Alliance, PECO, The Statehouse. These were places already tainted with weak ethical rules, sycophants willing to do anything for a few extra dollars, and people willing to look away for a few pennies. Fumo was just extremely skilled in exploiting this environment which even his supporters agree. I believe Fumo will go to jail for a few years I am sure, but so what. The environment stays the same, waiting for the next skilled operator to come along and manipulate the game.
Fumoworld = PhilaPhilliesWC! Stay away!
FrankD..you are a small minded..obviously uniformed individual who is incapable of objectively looking at the entire picture instead of jumping to totally unfounded conclusions. by the way shouldnt you be in bed unless your johnny doc job doesnt have any work for you in the AM.
FrankD..you are a small minded..obviously uniformed individual who is incapable of objectively looking at the entire picture instead of jumping to totally unfounded conclusions. by the way shouldnt you be in bed unless your johnny doc job doesnt have any work for you in the AM.
Hey Frank D - you called it. Now that "she" (PhilaP) mentioned John Doc "she" is definitely one of "them". What college student mentions a union leader? BTW - what is wrong with a uniformed individual? A little offensive and nasty therefore...I agree a Fumoworld idiot who must be such a loser as to sit by "her" computer and monitor the site. Bye bye Vincent = 10+ years!
pretty funny..im doing school work on my computer...keeping up with the news..im.."one of them".haha..funny but no im not listed in that cagtegory so keep researching me to find out what you should label me as....maybe as a person who has a right to state their opinion and should have to be labeled in a category by uneducated ppl like you..oh..and question..what are you doing on your computer monitoring this site? hypocritical?? hmmm...?????10 years..you must not have any work for johnny doc in the morning too....
Hey 10 Years - I think the bright college student meant to type uninformed not uniformed. What's wrong, they didn't teach you that in college? I must be a mensa member compared to "her"! Keep trying! 8th and Tasker in the house!
oh and also...what kind of college student mentions a union leader? one that is educated about his born witness his tactics and thugery..because i am an educated and informed young adult...you want to label me as one of them? perhaps your ignorance has racial undertones so perhaps not only are you ignorant but a bigot as well..do yourself a favor..don't waste your breath trying to label me...ill make uneducated followers like you look worthless.
FrankD you are proving my point about the thugery and bullying tactics that exists when someone has an opinion of their own thats contrary to yours..i think that not only are you UNINFORMED but trying to silence me through these tactics is tantamount to oppressing my right to freedom of speech...perhaps we should change this discussion and i should ask you...are you a socialist?
Thugery? Didn't you earlier, while doing school work 7 hours ago, state that if you are not from Philly don't comment? Bigot? Racial? Thugery? I would say yes to all for you! If you are the product of any college we are in trouble!
wow.FrankD..that was a well thought out and articulate statement.took you long to comment though..what did your wife catch you on the porno websites again?...LOSER.
I'm sorry I am not smart enough to know what you are talking about. Socialist? My mensa membership expired at the end of February.
But isn't this blog free speech? What you do not like is someone taking a different view than your own and insulting them. THAT is silencing free speech!
FrankD..I'm not trying to belittle you but you were the one who attacked me saying stop replying to PhilaPhillies..they work on 8th and Tasker....I guess anyone who disagrees with you and your little friend 10 yrs who obviously is your I hate FUMO bff and on the phone right now with eachother trying to figure out what to say to the little college girl..you guys have to label them in a category..thats pathetic..grow up
We agree to disagree thats what its ALL about!
Frank..your being ridiculous, immature and pathetic. My mensa membership expired? wow..how old are you???Your taking this wayyy too personall and obviously need to get some fresh air...go to bed..your boring me now
WC, you don't get it and appear to be very condescending in your blogs.
Oh Evan..did Frank and 10 yrs call you too? Is this a three way phone convo between you guys?..It taked the 3 of you to figure out what to say to the little college student? you go to bed too.
wait..let me beat you to it..it took*** I know you guys would jump on htat so let me correct myself for you
Wow! what are you talking about? I think you need to go to bed as you get very offended when a differing opinion is offered.
Frank..hang up the phone with Evan and 10 yrs..
Just hung up...good night guys! ZZZZZzzzzzzzz
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About Inquirer Breaking News
Live from the courtroom, the Inquirer is blogging the federal corruption trial of State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo and his longtime friend and associate Ruth Arnao.
Highlights of testimony, rulings and the courtroom scene will be posted here regularly. Fumo, a Democratic state senator since 1978, is accused in a 139-count indictment of conspiring to defraud the Senate, a South Philadelphia nonprofit, and the Independence Seaport Museum; obstruction of justice; and tax violations. The fraudulent activity totaled $3.5 million, prosecutors allege.
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