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TOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer

Former House Speaker John Perzel is brought in handcuffs to Magisterial District Justice office in Harrisburg today, the day after state prosecutors charged him with 82 criminal counts in a scandal involving multimillion-dollar software programs paid for by taxpayers but allegedly used for political campaigning.

READER FEEDBACK

Perzel released on bond after handing over passport

By Mario F. Cattabiani

Inquirer Harrisburg Bureau

Rep. John M. Perzel, the former speaker of the state House, was led in handcuffs this morning into a district magistrate's office where he was ordered to turn over his passport before being released on $100,000 bond for 82 counts of corruption leveled yesterday by the Attorney General's Office.

"This investigation has gone on for a long time. I am looking forward to the opportunity to prove my innocence in court," said Perzel, 59, a Republican from Philadelphia, as he pushed through a throng of TV cameras and reporters at the entrance of magistrate District Judge William C. Wenner in Lower Paxton Township in suburban Harrisburg.

Perzel arrived at the judge's office shortly after being processed at a local police station.

He was charged yesterday with theft, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and conflict of interest. A grand jury said he and others had misused public money for campaign purposes and then tried to cover it up.

Perzel, who has represented Northeast Philadelphia for 30 of his 59 years, became the most prominent political figure charged to date in the long-running investigation unofficially known as Bonusgate. Nine other people with ties to the House Republican caucus were charged.

Others charged preceded him at the court, including his former chief of staff, Brian Preski. Preski's attorney, William Winning, said, "Brian has an absolutely impeccable reputation. He has served the Capitol with distinction for many, many years. These charges are not warranted." Preski had no comment.

All the defendants were brought in with their hands cuffed in front of them except for former State Rep. Brett Feese, former chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. Feese's attorney, Josh Lock, took his client straight to magisterial court, bypassing the police station. The tactic prevented what Lock described as the humiliation of his client being photographed while in handcuffs.

He called it "mindless medieval cruelty" on the part of the Attorney General's Office. "It is a French Revolution model of arrest," Lock said.

As of 11 this morning, the preliminary arraignments were continuing. Six of the 10 defendants had gone through the process and were released on bond. A date for their formal arraignment, in which they will enter pleas, has not been set.

Contact staff writer Mario F. Cattabiani at 717-787-5990 or mcattabiani@phillynews.com.

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Comments

Posted 11:34 AM, 11/13/2009

Peacemaker

I don't know who this guy is and I didn't even bother to read the whole article but I'm not at all surprised he's a Republican because they're all for the rich and they're all crooked.

Posted 11:36 AM, 11/13/2009

Steve2181

We're the saps. We let crooked politicians treat taxpayer money like it's their personal piggy bank. Saving them the embarrassment of being cuffed? How about if they behave in such a way that they save themselves the embarrassment of being arrested!

Posted 11:36 AM, 11/13/2009

Zero

5-10 years sounds about right. this guy is a pig.

Posted 11:41 AM, 11/13/2009

John_Galt

You had said that you saw no difference between economic and political power, between the power of money and the power of guns—no difference between reward and punishment, no difference between purchase and plunder, no difference between pleasure and fear, no difference between life and death. You are learning the difference now.

Posted 11:43 AM, 11/13/2009

pieman

all politicians suck- Democrat or Republican

Posted 11:46 AM, 11/13/2009

Timmy

This is the problem with the political system: politician's genuinely don't think they've done anything wrong. Fumo didn't get it, Perzel doesn't get it. I don't think they ever will. They think they are entitled to spend taxpayer funds as if they are running a private corporation spending money received from corporate profits, which they feel like they somehow "earned."

Posted 11:48 AM, 11/13/2009

GrammarIsGood

Does anyone truly believe that the corruption ends with those charged? Years of deals both within and between the parties. What if one of the defendents provides the Commonwealth with information in exchange for a reduced sentence? Oh boy, could be a rough holiday season for folks who have enriched themselves at the expense of the taxpayer.

Posted 11:48 AM, 11/13/2009

Dadair1

Pa politics, you got to love it. First the biggest Democrate is brought down, now the Republicans will feel the wrath......

Posted 11:52 AM, 11/13/2009

PhillyTime

peacemaker - where were your comments when Vince Fumo was arrested? Only wrong when a repub does it huh?

Posted 11:55 AM, 11/13/2009

bill at

Am I supposed to think that Billy Meehan didn't know what was going on here? Or that Meathead Brady didn't know what was going on with Fumo? We clearly need more handcuffs.

Posted 11:56 AM, 11/13/2009

mindstorms

In the final analysis we to blame for what goes in in Harrisburg or Philadelphia because we keep electing these folks over and over again. The fact that a very high percentage of people don't even bother to vote adds to the problem. The politicians just have to get out their zombie followers to win year after year. Maybe, the only way to deal with these "professional" politicians is change the constitution so term limits for office are in place.