Residents of the Keystone State are endowed with some the finest criminal politicians in the country. There is a political proverb from my section of the state. "What's the difference between the Mob and a politician in Pennsylvania? Well the public holds many members of the Mob in higher esteem because there are some things even Mobsters won't do for money as compared to the politicians." Here's short list of some of our outstanding members:
Chaka Fattah
Chaka Fattah (born Arthur Davenport; November 21, 1956) is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania who served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House for Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district from 1995 to 2016, and he was succeeded by fellow Democrat Dwight Evans. He previously served in the Pennsylvania Senate and the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The district included portions of North Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, and West Philadelphia along with Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County. On July 29, 2015, Fattah and a group of associates were indicted on federal charges related to their alleged roles in a racketeering and influence peddling conspiracy. He was convicted on 23 counts of racketeering, fraud, and other corruption charges on June 21, 2016, and resigned two days later. On December 12, 2016, Fattah was sentenced to 10 years in prison. On August 9, 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia overturned Fattah's bribery convictions. On July 12, 2019, a Philadelphia judge sentenced Fattah to 10 years in federal prison for public corruption.
Jose Miranda
(born October 30, 1985) is an American politician. He served as a Democratic party member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, from 2013 to 2014.[1] Miranda previously worked on the staffs of Philadelphia City Council President Darrell Clarke and state Senator Shirley Kitchen.
He was elected to one term in 2012. In January 2014, Miranda and his sister were charged for maintaining a “ghost employee” on his payroll. He was subsequently defeated by Leslie Acosta in the primary election in 2014. In January 2015, Miranda pled guilty to false swearing and ethics violations.
Michael Conahan
(born April 21, 1952) is a convicted felon and former judge. He received a J.D. degree from Temple University and went on to serve from 1994-2007 as Judge on the Court of Common Pleas in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. During the last four years of his tenure, he was the President Judge of the county. He is currently serving seventeen and a half years in prison for his part in the Kids for Cash scandal. Due to coronavirus concerns, Conahan was released on a temporary furlough on June 19, 2020 and is currently reported to be in home confinement.
Michele Brownlee
Michelle F. Brownlee is a politician from the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A member of the Democratic Party, she was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 195th district until her resignation after pleading guilty to felony conflict of interest charges on June 8, 2015.
Motiva Johnson Harrel
(born April 21, 1966) is an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 190th district from March to December 2019. She is the first female Muslim member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. She resigned after pleading guilty to various criminal acts related to a charity she worked for. She was sentenced to 3 months in jail followed by 8.5 months on house arrest, 11 months on parole, and 2 years probation.
Michael "Ozzie" Myers
A former U.S. congressman and Philadelphia political operative has pleaded guilty to myriad election fraud charges.
U.S. Attorneys say Democrat Michael “Ozzie” Myers, 79, bribed election judges for two South Philadelphia wards from 2014 to 2018 to pump up fake votes for his candidates.
One judge, Domenick J. Demuro, who was charged separately and also pleaded guilty, would certify fraudulent voting machine receipts as valid after adding fake votes for various candidates who had hired Myers for so-called consultancy services.
Demuro accepted payments between $300 and $5,000 to pump up the votes for candidates running for various federal, state, and local elected offices, including judicial positions.
Myers would drive another judge of elections, Marie Beren, to a South Philly polling place every Election Day, instructing her on which candidates should get how much of a fraudulent pump.
The charges Myers pleaded guilty to include conspiracy to deprive voters of civil rights, bribery, obstruction of justice, falsification of voting records, and conspiring to illegally vote in a federal election.
“Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy. If even one vote has been illegally cast or if the integrity of just one election official is compromised, it diminishes faith in process,” said U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams. “Votes are not things to be purchased and democracy is not for sale. If you are a political consultant, election official, or work with the polling places in any way, I urge you to do your job honestly and faithfully. That is what the public deserves and what the federal government will enforce.” (https://whyy.org/articles/ex-philly-congressman-ozzie-myers-election-fraud/).
Kathleen Kane
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (KDKA/AP) - Former state Attorney General Kathleen Kane, once a rising star in state politics, left a courtroom in handcuffs on Monday after getting a 10- to 23-month sentence for a retaliation scheme a judge linked to her all-consuming ego.
"That, I believe, sends a significant message on what we need to do as public servants and how we need to behave," District Attorney Kevin Steele said after the sentencing.
Kane, 50, also was sentenced to eight years of probation by a Montgomery County judge, who said Kane's need for revenge led her to break the law and then lie to a grand jury. Kane, who was accused of leaking secret investigative files to embarrass a rival prosecutor, was convicted of perjury and obstruction.
Judge Wendy Demchick-Alloy said Kane assumed an "off with your heads" mentality as she ran the state's top law enforcement agency. The judge called Kane a political "neophyte" who failed to make the transition from politician to public servant when she took office in 2013. (https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/kathleen-kane-sentencing/).
Kathleen Kane
Former Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane sent back to jail
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A former Pennsylvania attorney general who served jail time for leaking grand jury material and lying about it was taken into custody Friday on an alleged probation violation, more than a month after she was charged with drunken driving, officials said.
Kathleen Kane, 55, is behind bars at Montgomery County Correctional Facility outside Philadelphia, said Kelly Cofrancisco, a county spokesperson. Additional details were not immediately available.
A message was left for her attorney in the drunken driving case.
Once a rising star in Pennsylvania politics, Kane resigned as attorney general after being convicted in 2016 of perjury, obstruction and other counts for leaking secret investigative files to embarrass a rival prosecutor. (https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/news/2022/04/29/former-pennsylvania-attorney-general-kathleen-kane-arrested-dui/9587948002/)
Domenick DeMuro
Philadelphia Election Judge Admits to Stuffing Ballot Boxes for Democrats in Three Separate Elections
COLIN KALMBACHERMay 21st, 2020, 8:30 pm
Former Philadelphia Judge of Elections Domenick J. DeMuro was upbraided by federal prosecutors on Thursday for admittedly committing electoral fraud in three separate primary elections.
“Our election system relies on the honesty and the integrity of its election officials,” the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania William M. McSwain said in a press release. “If they are corrupt, the system is corrupt, which creates opportunities for election fraud and for the counting of fake votes.”
According to unsealed criminal charges, DeMuro stuffed ballot boxes in Philadelphia’s 39th Ward, 36th Division “for specific Democratic candidates in the 2014, 2015, and 2016 primary elections.” One charge resulted from those instances. A second and distinct charge was filed under the Travel Act.
That law, per McSwain, “forbids the use of any facility in interstate commerce (here, a cell phone) with the intent to promote certain illegal activity (here, bribery).”
DeMuro pleaded guilty to both charges. (https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/philadelphia-election-judge-admits-to-stuffing-ballot-boxes-for-democrats-in-three-separate-elections/).
