HARRISBURG —
Brett Feese, a former Republican leader in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives was sentenced today to four to 12 years in state prison and fined $25,000 for his role in a state corruption scandal.
Dauphin County Judge Richard Lewis also ordered the 57-year-old to pay $1 million in restitution and do two years of probation.
Feese, a onetime House Republican Campaign Committee chairman, was found guilty of all 40 charges against him in November.
Prosecutors said Feese was involved in hiring out-of-state consultants with public money and diverting legislative employees to work on customized computer software to help elect more Republicans to the Legislature.
Jill Seaman, Feese’s co-defendant and former legislative aide, was convicted on identical charges. She was sentenced last month to nine to 23 months in a county jail work-release program. Feese, who served six terms in the House representing his Lycoming County district, and Seaman, 59, of Dauphin, were convicted after a six-week trial.
They were the only Republicans to stand trial among 25 people whom the state attorney general’s office has arrested since it began investigating the Legislature in early 2007, while Republican Gov. Tom Corbett was the attorney general.
Feese is a former Lycoming County district attorney.
After then-House Speaker John Perzel tapped him as chairman of the House GOP campaign committee in 2002, his political fortune soared.
He became caucus chairman in 2002, was promoted to majority whip in 2003 and named chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee in 2004.
In 2007, after he left the Legislature and as the investigation was heating up, he was hired as the caucus’ chief counsel.
Perzel, a Philadelphia Republican who prosecutors say was the ringleader of the scheme, was one of seven defendants who pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
Feese and Seaman were each convicted on 38 counts of conspiracy, theft and conflict of interest, plus one count each of hindering apprehension and obstruction.
The charges covered seven criminal episodes: three involving the use of different groups of caucus employees for campaign work; three involving interaction with out-of-state consultants; and one involving an alleged attempt to falsify evidence to mislead investigators about the defendants’ involvement.
Twelve Democrats, including longtime House leader state Rep. Bill DeWeese, have been convicted or pleaded guilty in the investigation.
Two defendants were acquitted and charges against another were dropped.
The other defendant, former Rep. Stephen Stetler, D-York, is expected to go to trial later this year.
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