Perzel gets prison term for corruption
HARRISBURG — Former Pennsylvania House Speaker John Perzel was ordered Wednesday to serve a 2Z\x- to 5-year prison term and pay $1 million in restitution for his role as the architect of a scheme to help Republicans win elections through the illegal use of taxpayer-financed technology and employees.
The 62-year-old ex-lawmaker from Philadelphia looked tense but displayed no emotion as Dauphin County Judge Richard Lewis imposed the sentence, which also includes $30,000 in fines and five years’ probation.
At the same hearing, the judge sentenced Perzel’s longtime chief of staff, Philadelphia lawyer Brian Preski, 46, to two to four years in prison, $37,500 in fines and $1 million in restitution.
Both men pleaded guilty to multiple counts of theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest.
Lewis acknowledged receiving scores of letters from friends and relatives who stressed Perzel’s generosity, compassion and service to his community, but said Perzel’s criminal conduct was “a shocking and flagrant violation of the public trust.”
The judge said the scheme cost taxpayers an estimated $10 million over several years and created a workplace environment in which campaign-related activity trumped official work. It also adversely affected the nine other people connected to the House Republican caucus who were arrested by the state attorney general’s office for offenses that all stem from “one man’s quest for power,” he said.
Perzel spoke only a few words and apologized as he addressed the court before sentencing.
“I’ve embarrassed myself, my family, my friends and the people of Pennsylvania,” he said.
Chief Deputy Attorney General Frank Fina said he was satisfied with the sentences and said they were “entirely consistent” with the likely outcome if the state had won the convictions at trial.
Wednesday’s court proceedings, at which two former caucus employees also were sentenced to probation and fines, completed the prosecution of the remaining Republicans charged as a result of a government corruption probe that is now in its sixth year.
Neither Perzel nor Preski was willing to talk with reporters after they were sentenced.
Both men are scheduled to begin their prison terms on April 11.
Most of the charges revolved around the expenditure of millions of tax dollars to hire out-of-state consultants who worked with caucus employees to develop huge databases of information about Pennsylvania voters and customized software to help GOP candidates campaign more efficiently.
The prosecutions began in November 2009, when 10 people connected to the House Republicans were arrested.
Perzel was among six GOP defendants who pleaded guilty to reduced charges as part of agreements that required them to cooperate with prosecutors.
Two other Republican defendants stood trial last fall and were convicted of 40 criminal counts each. Former Rep. Brett Feese of Lycoming County is serving at least four years in state prison and his former aide, Jill Seaman, was sentenced to at least nine months in county jail.
Preski, who had been Feese’s and Seaman’s co-defendant when that trial began, changed his mind and pleaded guilty.
Charges against a 10th GOP defendant — former Perzel aide John Zimmerman — were dropped in November.
Perzel, Preski, Feese and Seaman have all forfeited their state pensions as a result of their criminal convictions.
The state investigation also resulted in the arrests of 15 former legislators and aides in the House Democratic caucus. Twelve have been convicted or pleaded guilty, two were acquitted and one is awaiting trial.
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