 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
These are just some of the likely scenarios when the curtain goes up in one of the most significant corruption trials in recent Philadelphia history: U.S. v. Vincent J. Fumo.
A year and a half after his indictment, Fumo, a Democratic state senator since 1978, will finally get his day in court, starting tomorrow when jury selection is scheduled to begin at the U.S. Courthouse in Center City.
A 139-count indictment charges Fumo with 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, Assistant U.S. Attorneys John J. Pease and Robert A. Zauzmer said.
Fumo said he was apprehensive - but pledged to fight the charges. "How could you not fight for your life?" he told The Inquirer late last month.
"That's not to say I don't get depressed some days, to say I don't get angry, don't get aggravated. 'My God what are we going through here?' But you play the hand you've been dealt. And you play it as best you can," Fumo said.
The trial is already the talk of the legal, business and political communities, with lots of debate about possible defenses and outcomes, even whether Fumo will seek a last-minute plea or go forward with a trial.
"It is the most anticipated event of its kind that I can remember," said Zack Stalberg, president of the Committee of Seventy, a government watchdog group in Philadelphia. "Vince has been such a large figure for so long a period of time that I think the whole region will be watching this one closely."
The outcome could determine whether Fumo, who has been one of the most influential political figures in the state for decades, spends the rest of his life in prison.
If Fumo, 65, is convicted of all charges, federal prosecutors are expected to seek a prison sentence of at least 10 years. Even an eleventh-hour plea would not likely spare him a prison term of some years.
His lead attorney, Dennis J. Cogan, declined to comment last week on the impending trial or whether Fumo would take the stand.
U.S. District Judge William H. Yohn Jr., a former state legislator, will preside over the trial, which is expected to last about three months.
A jury pool of 200 has been summoned from the counties in eastern Pennsylvania's federal district: Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, Chester, Lancaster, Lehigh, Northampton and Berks. Selection is likely to take most of the week.
The 267-page indictment portrays Fumo as a greedy and arrogant legislator who, though personally wealthy, liked to use "other people's money" - or OPM, as he allegedly referred to it - for everything from vacuum cleaners to farm equipment.
Fumo allegedly had Senate employees tend his farm, clean his house, run personal errands, and do political work, and gave Senate equipment, including laptops, to his valet, girlfriends and relatives. He also is accused of using Senate money to hire an investigator who spied on his ex-wife and ex-girlfriends.
The indictment further accused Fumo of using a charity he helped fund, Citizens' Alliance for Better Neighborhoods, as his personal piggybank for vehicles, tools, $100-a-gallon paint, even turkey-fryer equipment.
In addition, he is accused of exploiting his position on the board of the Independence Seaport Museum by taking free trips on museum yachts. Fumo also is accused of trying to thwart the FBI and IRS investigation by ordering e-mails destroyed.
Fumo's codefendant, Ruth Arnao, a longtime friend who was head of Citizens' Alliance, also is scheduled for trial. She is charged with 45 counts of conspiracy, fraud and tax violations.
The case promises to be a soap-opera saga about Fumo's personal life as well as his political work. A former girlfriend is expected to be one of the government's first witnesses.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fr
Dec 5
|
Sa
Dec 6 |
Su
Dec 7 |
Mo
Dec 8 |
Tu
Dec 9 |
SPORTS
OBITUARIES
Green
today's poll
express headlines
Promotions
email this
print this
reprint or license this
