Orie Melvin likely to lose big pension pension
PITTSBURGH — Suspended state Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin stands to lose a sizable state pension once she’s sentenced on corruption charges in May, when the judge who presided over her campaign corruption trial also may remove her from office.
Information obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press from the State Employees’ Retirement System through a Right-to-Know request shows Melvin qualifies for a maximum annual pension of $140,322.
The request also sought pension information about Melvin’s sister, former state Sen. Jane Orie, who is serving a prison sentence in a related corruption case. Based on that information, the AP calculated Orie’s maximum annual pension at $37,700.
State law requires pension forfeitures by officials who commit certain crimes once they are sentenced or plead guilty, but SERS spokesman Heather Tyler said no forfeiture action has been taken in either case, since neither of the sisters has applied for benefits.
Melvin, 56, was convicted last month in Allegheny County of theft of services and other charges for using her former Superior Court staff, and her sister’s own state-paid staff, to work on her 2003 and 2009 campaigns for the Supreme Court.
