Former Democratic state Rep. Frank LaGrotta should consider himself lucky. He won't be serving prison time for placing his sister and niece in state jobs that reaped them thousands of taxpayer dollars for little or no work.

He should have had to serve time behind bars as a deterrent to current and future lawmakers who might be tempted to violate the public trust.

In addition to his sentence of six months of house arrest for two felony conflict-of-interest charges — charges to which LaGrotta pleaded guilty — the former lawmaker, who represented portions of Beaver, Butler and Lawrence counties prior to being defeated in his 2006 re-election bid, also was ordered to serve 30 months of probation, pay a $5,000 fine and $27,000 restitution, and perform 500 hours of community service.

Although it would have been more fitting if LaGrotta had been forced to serve time in prison, the reason given for the house-arrest sentence is understandable. LaGrotta is cooperating with investigators on issues that no doubt have others in Pennsylvania's state governmental circles squirming.

One of those issues is the investigation surrounding millions of dollars in bonuses given to legislative staff members. The state Attorney General's Office is looking into whether the bonuses, paid both by Democratic and Republican leaders in the House and Senate, were really compensation for work performed illegally on political campaigns.

The Attorney General's Office has declined to confirm whether or not LaGrotta has testified or will testify before a grand jury that is investigating the bonus scandal.

Because LaGrotta served in an elected position of public trust, his constituents deserve to someday be told whether their former lawmaker appeared before the grand jury to answer questions.

LaGrotta commanded the respect and support of his constituents for 20 years. Unfortunately, instead of public service based on an ethical foundation, he succumbed to the arrogance and self-serving ways sometimes associated with politicians who view themselves as above the people they represent — and serving with no fear of an election defeat.

LaGrotta has learned otherwise, and others in Harrisburg should heed the lesson of LaGrotta's self-inflicted predicament.

In addition to the ghost jobs scam for which he was sentenced, Commonwealth Court ruled Jan. 2 that LaGrotta isn't immune from a lawsuit filed by two companies accusing him of acting outside the scope of his legislative duties when he tried to block the sale of Hill View Manor, the Lawrence County nursing home.

The state court sent the case back to Lawrence County Court, where the companies' lawsuit was filed.

Like the jobs scam, the nursing home case portrays an elected official who embraced an inflated opinion of himself and his power.

For two decades, LaGrotta received strong support from his constituents, who believed that he was working on their behalf.

To a large degree he was, but when he deviated from that and instead served the interests of himself or his relatives, he tarnished his accomplishments, as well as the reputation he had built.

Senior Deputy Attorney General Anthony Krastek, referring to LaGrotta's sister and niece, said, "At best, any work they did was exaggerated."

It now can be said that LaGrotta's commitment to dedicated public service was likewise exaggerated.

All considered, LaGrotta's punishment is fair. But few of his former constituents, as well as other tax-paying Pennsylvanians, would have shed tears if it would have been harsher.