Posted on Wed, Jan. 14, 2009
A computer technician who worked in the Harrisburg office of state Sen. Vincent J. Fumo is set to return to the witness stand today as prosecutors continue efforts to show that Fumo obstructed the FBI corruption investigation that led to the ongoing trial.
Mark Eister testified yesterday that he ran sophisticated programs aimed at permanently destroying e-mail after the FBI probe was first reported by The Inquirer in January 2004. He also told the jury in Fumo's federal corruption trial that he told Harrisburg staffers to regularly delete e-mail to and from the senator, a longtime powerful Democrat.
Eister took the stand after federal prosecutors decided -- at least for now -- not to call another computer technician, Leonard P. Luchko, to the stand. Luchko had been slated as a key prosecution witness, but Assistant U.S. Attorneys John J. Pease and Robert A. Zauzmer learned late last week that he had been e-mailing Fumo, co-defendant Ruth Arnao and others.
Prosecutors provided the defense with thousands of e-mail messages, and the defense lawyers have been combing through those e-mails, searching for evidence that might help Fumo.
Contact Inquirer Staff Writer Emilie Lounsberry at 215-854-4828 or elounsberry@phillynews.com.
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