Orie and sister will stand trial

PITTSBURGH - A Western Pennsylvania lawmaker and one of her sisters will stand trial on charges they had the state senator's taxpayer-funded staff do campaign work for the senator and another sister, a state Supreme Court justice.

State Sen. Jane Orie and her sister, Janine, were ordered Wednesday to stand trial by Allegheny County Judge Donna Jo McDaniel after three days of testimony from the senator's former staffers. The women were charged in April with illegally using Jane Orie's legislative staff.

Janine Orie is also on paid suspension from her $67,000-a-year job as Judge Joan Orie Melvin's Supreme Court aide.

Sen. Orie referred all comment to her attorney, William Costopoulos, who called the prosecution's evidence, including Melvin campaign contribution records that were kept at Orie's office, "trivial." Janine Orie's attorney, James DePasquale, said his client was charged only to add "sex appeal" to the case because she is the senator's sister and Melvin's aide.

No trial date was set, but Costopoulos said a more important court date looms: a hearing before county Judge Jeffrey Manning on the constitutionality of Pennsylvania's conflict-of-interest law, which he argues is illegally vague.

Costopoulos filed a challenge to the law shortly after Orie was charged, and said it should not be used to prosecute lawmakers for behavior he suggested is engaged in by nearly every member of the General Assembly.

Sen. Orie is charged with conspiracy, diversion of services, conflict of interest, and tampering or fabricating physical evidence. Janine Orie is charged with diverting the services of Orie's staff to benefit Melvin.