Fumo ally gets six months of house arrest

U.S. District Court Judge Ronald L. Buckwalter today sentenced a longtime ally and friend of former State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo to six months under house arrest.

Mitchell Rubin, fired last year as chairman of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, also was ordered to return $150,000 to the state Senate, money federal prosecutors said he received for a no-show job.

Buckwalter told Rubin he was getting "a huge break, in my mind, by not going to jail." Rubin, 58, pleaded guilty to obstructing the FBI's investigation into Fumo.

Rubin's attorneys negotiated the plea deal with prosecutors. Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Pease said Rubin paid the $150,000 just prior to the hearing before Buckwalter. Rubin did not admit defrauding the Senate, despite the repayment.

Fumo and Rubin's wife, Ruth Arnao, a former Fumo aide, were convicted last year on federal charges of conspiracy, fraud, and obstruction of justice. Fumo, once one of Pennsylvania's most powerful Democrats, is serving a 55-month sentence, and Arnao is serving a one-year sentence, both in Kentucky prisons. Arnao, 53, is to be released in May.

Among the charges of which Fumo was found guilty was that he had arranged for the state Senate to pay Rubin $150,000 in a no-work contract, a reward for his loyalty.

Rubin's attorney, Barry Gross, said Rubin would have no comment about the sentence.

In court, Rubin said he never graduated from high school, but later obtained a GED and attended some college courses.

He is co-owner of a well-known firm that delivers legal papers for city courts and attorneys, provides court reporters, and conducts private investigations. The firm has about 40 employees.

Buckwalter's sentence of Fumo was appealed by federal prosecutors. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Zauzmer said he and Pease were still awaiting a schedule from the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, which will hear the case.

Buckwalter appeared to make reference to that controversial sentencing, saying that while he had a reputation as a "lenient" judge, Rubin would have his five years on probation revoked and be jailed if he violated its terms.

Rubin will be placed on home confinement for the first six months, but allowed to go to work from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.