Litigation

Mistrial Declared in PA Corruption Case

By Peter Hardin

A judge concluded that the defense in the corruption trial of Pennsylvania state Sen. Jane Orie submitted forged evidence, and he angrily declared a mistrial.

Orie is accused of using  state resources for the political campaigns of herself and her sister, state Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin.

Allegheny County Court Judge Jeffrey A. Manning denounced a fraud committed “on the court, the jury, and our justice system,” according to a Philadelphia Inquirer article.

The new twist involved documents supposedly signed by Orie’s former chief of staff, an important prosecution witness. The prosecution presented evidence the documents were forged. Orie’s lawyer initially challenged that allegation.

“Ray Charles could see that signature was doctored,” the judge retorted.

Another Orie sister, Janine Orie, is facing charges tied to misuse of public resources solely in the campaign of now-Justice Melvin. (Photo above by AP shows Jane Orie, left, and Janine Orie, right.)

William Costopoulos, a lawyer for Sen. Orie, said there was no information linking the forgery of documents to the defense, the Associated Press reported. A retrial tentatively was set for April 11, according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article.

Full post as published by The Gavel on March 05, 2011 (boomark / email).