HARRISBURG — Two former Pennsylvania House speakers convicted and sent to prison in a legislative corruption scandal are close to being released on parole after less than two years behind bars.

The state parole board has cleared Republican former Rep. John Perzel of Philadelphia for release as early as Wednesday and the release of Democratic former Rep. Bill DeWeese of Greene County as early as March 28.

At separate trials, prosecutors portrayed both men as the leaders of conspiracies to illegally spend millions of taxpayer dollars by using legislative employees and other public resources for political purposes.

Perzel and DeWeese were each sentenced to two-and-a-half-to-five years in prison, but they qualified for a special program that allows sentence reductions for certain non-violent offenders who participate in prison programs and who don’t misbehave.