Former legislator, current lawmaker, top aides charged in Bonusgate

HARRISBURG - A former top Democratic lawmaker and 11 others were charged today with overseeing a corrupt scheme that awarded millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded bonuses to legislative staffers for political campaign work.

Former House Minority Whip Michael Veon, the onetime Democratic political tactician credited with recapturing control of the chamber in 2006, was charged with running a massive, illegal campaign operation from his legislative offices.

A second sitting lawmaker was also charged in the wide-ranging grand jury investigation by Attorney General Tom Corbett, Rep. Sean M. Ramaley (D., Beaver).

Also charged were former top Democratic staffers Michael Manzo, chief of staff to House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese (D., Greene) until last year and Jeff Foreman, Veon's former chief of staff, who is now is counsel to Rep. Keith McCall, (D.,Carbon).

DeWeese was not charged in the criminal presentment.

The charges allege that Veon, Manzo and others concocted ways to tap public funds to thank underlings for political work - and Corbett indicated that some of them later attempted to cover up what they had done.

Corbett also said that Manzo also created a job for a 21-year-old intern with whom he was having an intimate relationship.

Corbett said the charges are the "initial" ones stemming from the investigation.

"Let me make this perfectly clear: this is not the conclusion. This is an ongoing investigation."

Others charged today were Scott Brubaker, the House Democrats' former caucus director of staffing and administration; his wife, Jennifer Brubaker, director of the Democrats' legislative research office; Manzo's wife, Rachel Manzo, who works for Rep. Todd Eachus (D., Luzerne) and Brett Cott, a former administrative director for Veon.

Also charged was Earl Mosley, the House Democrats' director of personnel; Steve Keefer, director of information technology; and Anna Marie Perretta-Rosepink, the former legislative assistant and district chief of staff in Veon's Beaver County office. Also, Patrick J. Lavelle     , an aide to Veon.

Dolling out year-end bonuses had been a well-established, if secret, practice in Harrisburg's legislative circles. It only became public in early 2007 after the Patriot-News of Harrisburg reported about them.

Initially, Democrats and Republican leaders in the House and Senate were reluctant to release details of the bonuses. They made them public after pressure mounted.

At the end of 2006, after winning back control of the lower chamber, House Democrats gave nearly $1.9 million in bonuses to 717 aides. House Republicans gave $270,000 to 45 aides, Senate Republicans gave $180,000 to 16 workers, and Senate Democrats awarded $38,000 to a dozen staffers.

From the start, Corbett's investigation has centered on House Democrats, in part because of the volume of the bonuses.

In November, DeWeese, the House Majority Leader, forced seven aides from their jobs – including Manzo - after discovering what he later described as damning e-mails that allegedly tied some bonuses to campaign work.

DeWeese has repeatedly said that he was unaware of the extent of the bonuses and had delegated them to others.