Victim assistance

THROUGHOUT THE LONG investigation, trial and 137-count conviction of ex-state Sen. Vincent Fumo for conspiracy, fraud and obstruction of justice, much attention has been paid to his abuse of his office, and his creation of a nonprofit so he fund his collection of vacuum cleaners and power tools. Outrage has been expressed on behalf of taxpayers who helped outfit and manage Fumo's cushy (heated sidewalks!) lifestyle. But far too little attention has been paid to the true ravaged victim of the Fumo saga: Citizens Alliance, the nonprofit ATM machine that Fumo set up with a $17 million check from Peco in exchange for legislative favors.

Poor, poor Citizens Alliance. The group is now seeking restitution of at least $2 million it spent on legal defense of its former executive director, Ruth Arnao. The group claims its reputation has been damaged by its association with Fumo and Arnao; the reputation of its board has also suffered. (That board, by the way, included Joseph Russo, recently fired from the Board of Revision of Taxes.) This head-spinning tale of woe, contained in a "victim impact statement" filed by federal prosecutors, redefines "chutzpah."

It also raises the entertaining possibility that no one but Fumo himself would have had the nerve to claim sympathy for being a victim . . . of himself. *