Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Federal Case

I have to admit that I'm surprised at the swiftness of the verdict in the Cordaro/Munchak trial in federal court at Scranton.

The outcome?  Not so much.

To bring you up to speed, federal prosecutors alleged Bob Cordaro and AJ Munchak instituted a pay to play system while they were running Lackawanna County.  If you wanted a county contract, Bob and AJ expected-- and demanded-- a taste.

They lived large.  Bob liked lavish trips.  AJ was fond of being a big spender at casinos.

The evidence against them was considerable, and it was not easy to watch.  I've known Bob Cordaro more than twenty years.  He was always helpful, in and out of office.

It is unfortunate that the enablers walk free.  How much did all those businesses pad their bills to cover the cost of the bribes?  Taxpayers are the real losers here.

When Cordaro and Munchak took over eight years ago, it was clearly a time of change.  They vowed to end the heavy handed politics of the past.  Unfortunately, they replaced it with something else-- a thieving enterprise, and a huge one at that.  So says a jury of their peers.

If disappointment was a crime, Cordaro and Munchak would be behind bars for a very long time.