A federal judge sent Skrepenak to jail for two years. So many things here just don't make sense, and most of them come from the defense table.
Let's start with the defendant, Greg Skrepenak. You and I might call it a bribe. Skrepenak insists it's "corrupt receipt of a gift." At least everyone agrees on something: "corrupt."
Skrepenak told the Wilkes-Barre Times~Leader “I can’t tell you the feeling that a father has when you’re levied a sentence and I could hear my daughter crying,” First, that's the chance you take when you make your children part of the process. Skrepenak himself opened the door to it when he argued for leniency, based on his single parenthood. You can have sympathy for the kids. As for dad, I'll let you decide that one.
Skrepenak also made a plea for leniency based on health problems. The last time I checked, prisons had doctors.
The guilty plea stemmed from a $5,000 break on closing costs on his Jenkins Township townhouse. Let's take a look at that one. At the time he was charged, Skrepenak said he didn't know he did anything wrong. As I noted in the past, Skrepenak was afforded an education many people in our area can only dream about. I guess ethics wasn't part of the Michigan curriculum.
The federal government contends Skrepenak took much more than the $5,000. It was a factor in the sentence. Skrepenak denies it. Then, he should have pleaded "not guilty" and gone on trial to set the record straight. After all, you are innocent until proven guilty. Thankfully, people accused of crimes still have rights in the U.S.A. I really wish the federal government will unseal all the records one day, so we have a good idea of how many thieves we have among us.
Skrepenak's father lashed out at a radio talk show host in particular, and the media in general at Friday's sentencing. There were a few words for the judge as well. I wish you could see me raising my hand here. I remember this one from Sr. Mary Talbot Kelleher's 1980 Marywood College psychology class: transference. Skrep's father is angry at his son and the situation, and he transferred that anger to the media. It helps you understand what happened. It doesn't make it right. It also shows a lack of respect for the court.
Skrepenak the younger was also quoted as saying he forgives the people who "betrayed" him. Are you kidding me? Really? What about those people who voted for Skrepenak the Reformer? How do you think those people feel? I have an answer for you. Betrayed.
We all make mistakes. Granted and accepted. We all deserve opportunities for forgiveness and second chances. However, Skrepenak's actions do not look like mistakes, but rather calculated attempts to squeeze as much money out of a public job as possible, without regard to the people who put him into office. There were apparently many enablers along the way. Some charged. Others, uncharged.
Skrepenak added to the Times~Leader that he's glad to be out of the public arena. He's not the only one who feels that way.
I'm not a FaceBook guy, like Skrepenak, so I'll renew the invitation here. Any time Greg Skrepenak wants to talk to tell us exactly what happened and why, I'm here for you.
