Posted on 03/16/2010 3:26:34 PM PDT by Born Conservative
A federal grand jury in Scranton indicted Lackawanna County Commissioner A.J. Munchak and former Commissioner Robert C. Cordaro this morning on public corruption charges.
Both are indicted on charges of racketeering and tax evasion. Mr. Cordaro faces a maximum of 364 years and a $7.7 million fine if convicted. Mr. Munchak faces 193 years and a $3.25 million fine. (Click here to read the indictment)
Mr. Munchak said he would not resign.
“The charges filed against me today are without merit and are based on untrue allegations. I plan to vigorously defend myself against these allegations and I am confident that after a full and fair hearing of the facts, the truth will prevail and I will be found innocent," he said in a written statement. "In the meantime, I am asking my constituents for their patience and understanding during the coming months, and I want to assure them that I will continue to serve to the best of my abilities pending the outcome of this case.”
Mr. Munchak's lawyer, Chris Powell, issued this statement: “It’s a sad day when powerful government prosecutors can drag the reputation of a good man like Commissioner A.J. Munchak through the mud based on the testimony of people who have cut deals to save themselves and preserve the reputations of their prominent employers. The grand jury in this case has only heard one side of the story – the side the government wanted it to hear. We are confident that when a jury hears our side, and the whole story becomes clear, he will be found innocent of all charges.”
After reports of the indictments surfaced in January, Mr. Cordaro's lawyer, William Costopoulos, said Mr. Cordaro expected an indictment and intended to fight the charges.
The indictments, widely speculated about and long awaited, are the first corruption charges brought against elected officials in Lackawanna County, while nearly two dozen people have been indicted in an ongoing corruption probe in Luzerne County.
Mr. Cordaro and Mr. Munchak toppled a 20-year reign of Democratic party rule in 2004 when they became majority commissioners. Their administration was marked by several large construction projects that included a $43.7 million renovation of the Lackawanna County Courthouse and the construction of a $14 million county emergency dispatch center.
A federal grand jury in Scranton has been hearing testimony and reviewing documents involving multimillion-dollar county projects since at least last summer.
Federal prosecutors have been reviewing records from the county co-owned airport, the authority that manages the county stadium and baseball team and the County of Lackawanna Transit Authority (COLTS). The investigators also collected copies of all Lackawanna County checks issued to Mr. Cordaro.
Those confirmed by The Times-Tribune to have appeared before the grand jury include Mr. Cordaro's brother, Ronald Cordaro; former county engineer Al Magnotta; and the airport's director of engineering, Al P. Brocavich.
In Luzerne County, former Judges Mark A. Ciavarella Jr., 59, and Michael T. Conahan, 57, are accused of accepting $2.8 million in kickbacks for placing juvenile court defendants in two for-profit detention centers. In addition to Mr. Ciavarella and Mr. Conahan, 21 other government officials and contractors have been charged in an ongoing federal corruption probe.
This time it’s Lackawanna County (Scranton)
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