By Mitchel Olszak
“Where do I go to get my reputation back?”
It was a question famously asked back in the 1980s by former U.S. Secretary of Labor Ray Donovan, after he was acquitted on federal corruption charges. Sean Ramaley could have said the same thing last week.
In the opening round of criminal trials associated with Pennsylvania’s Bonusgate scandal, a Harrisburg jury found Ramaley, a former state representative from Beaver County, not guilty on all counts of theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest the Pennsylvania attorney general had filed against him.
Ramaley, it was alleged, held a no-work job under another former House member, Beaver County’s Michael Veon. While on the state payroll, prosecutors alleged, Ramaley was actually campaigning for the legislative seat he eventually won.
Ramaley holds that position no longer. And he also can make no claim to a Senate seat that includes a large chunk of Lawrence County, including the city of New Castle. Ramaley was the Democratic nominee for that slot when he was charged. Soon after, Ramaley bowed out of that contest, as he awaited his court date.
Big criminal trials involving politicians often are treated like sporting events. Observers don’t merely make note of who wins and who loses, they also look at how well the participants played and where they rank in the standings after the jury rules.
In this instance, Ramaley can claim victory, but then what? He no longer benefits from House incumbency. His reputation is inevitably marred. It’s hard to believe he will have much luck seeking public office — even if he wanted to do so.
But who knows? Stranger things have happened.
Should he decide to return to public life, Ramaley first must tell his story in regard to Bonusgate — particularly his relationship with Veon. During his Senate campaign, Ramaley was disappointingly evasive on such matters, perhaps knowing he was a prosecutorial target. He has no such concerns now.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Tom Corbett had a lot riding on this trial — not as much as Ramaley, to be sure, but the results will do nothing to aid his campaign for governor in the 2010 elections.
Democrats in particular have criticized Corbett’s Bonusgate probe, claiming it was a politically motivated stunt designed to pave his way to the governor’s mansion. Such carping rings hollow — until the acquittals start to pile up.
Specifically, we don’t know what led the jury to decide to let Ramaley off. No one on the panel opted to speak to reporters afterward.
But we can presume they weren’t particularly impressed with the case against the ex-lawmaker. After four days of testimony, deliberations took less than three hours. Ramaley’s attorneys saw no need for their client to speak directly to jurors.
One factor in the jury’s decision may have been found in an observation offered by Philip Ignelzi, who handled Ramaley’s defense. He noted many of the prosecution witnesses who testified that Ramaley took pay for no work admitted to shameful conduct in their own right.
It’s always a problem for prosecutors when their witnesses come with a sheen of sleaze.
Corbett will get his chance for redemption next month, when other Bonusgate cases are on the docket. The political stakes for Corbett in those trials suddenly are much higher.
