Doesn't this sound like Massachusetts?

Perzel injected his influence into a series of Ridge- and Rendell-era deals ranging from boosting a racetrack slots bill to the introduction of full-fledged casino gambling


Former Pennsylvania Speaker John Perzel somber after receiving prison term for corruption
By CHARLES THOMPSON, The Patriot-News

It was like a Philadelphia funeral in Dauphin County's Courtroom Four this morning, commemorating the death of a political machine.

Not all of the mourners present for the court sentencings of former Pennsylvania Speaker of the House John Perzel, 62, and a pair of aides, wore black.

But these regular folks from northeast Philadelphia did share the same grim emotions, a stew of disbelief, sorrow and empathy at the long fall of the most powerful guy they ever knew and touched.

Perzel was sentenced by Judge Richard Lewis to two-and-a-half to five years in a state prison, to pay fines totaling $30,000 and to make restitution of $1 million for leading an effort to use public funds and resources to build a high-tech campaign machine.

Perzel's longtime chief of staff, Brian Preski, was sentenced shortly thereafter to 2 to 4 years in prison for serving as, in the words of Chief Deputy Attorney General Frank Fina, Perzel's chief "implementer."

Together, the two used their Harrisburg perches to make Republicans in Philadelphia relevant again, taking the leverage of leadership to wring influence in everything from the city's schools to its ports to its parking meters.

At the Capitol, meanwhile, Perzel injected his influence into a series of Ridge- and Rendell-era deals ranging from boosting a racetrack slots bill to the introduction of full-fledged casino gambling, delivering passage of an unpopular income tax hike and boosting - to his ultimate political defeat - the salaries and pensions of fellow lawmakers.

DAN GLEITER, The Patriot-News Former state House Speaker John Perzel, of Philadelphia, leaves the courtroom after being sentenced at the Dauphin County Courthouse to 30-60 months in Pennsylvania's government corruption case.

03/21/2012 DAN GLEITER, The Patriot-News

In the process, they became addicted to that power, and their shared determination to never lose it led, at last, to this, with a chastened Perzel telling the judge today that "I have embarrassed myself... my family, my friends and the people of Pennsylvania, and for that I am truly sorry. They gave me a great honor and I've disgraced them, and I'm very sorry for it."

Both men separately pleaded guilty last summer to multiple counts of theft of services, conflict of interest and conspiracy for their roles in using public funds to buy software and other data services designed to give House Republicans a technological edge in everything from identifying likely supporters to making sure they got to the polls on Election Day.

Lewis said he arrived at his sentence after a long review of more than 100 letters from Perzel supporters, arguments from his attorneys concerning Perzel's devotion to his ailing wife, and even, the judge admitted, prayer.

Lewis said that he was giving Perzel some break for his decision to plead guilty and cooperate with prosecutors, cooperation that ultimately resulted in his testimony at the trial of former legislative colleague Brett Feese last fall.

Perzel's sentence is siginficantly lighter than those handed down to Feese and former House Democratic Whip Mike Veon, the other two former lawmakers branded as ringleaders in the state Attorney General's far-reaching probe of legislative corruption.

In the end, however, Lewis said incarceration was warranted by the "audacity" of the scheme, which Fina argued not only cost taxpayers in excess of $10 million, but also effectively perverted the fairness of several state House elections.

Then there were the nine Republican co-defendants who "had their lives torn apart... all stemming back to one man's quest for power, and on that score, unfortunately, Mr. Perzel bears heavy responsibility."

Fina pronounced himself satisfied with the sentences.

If Perzel serves his time incident-free and completes all in-prison requirements asked of him, he may qualify for the state's equivalent of time off for good behavior, permitting him to be paroled after 22-and-a-half months.

Still, the gravity of the day amounted to a shocking final step in an unlikely reversal of fortune.

Perzel, who will report to serve his sentence on April 11, declined comment as he left court, his eyes welling with tears.

But later, walking with a couple of supporters back to his car, he seemed to use black humor to regain a little of his emotional balance. Perzel could be heard quipping about his prospects of coming up with $1 million in restitution payments.