State Senator Jane Orie's defense of allegations from the Allegheny County DA's office have cost taxpayers over $1 million so far. Taxpayers shouldn't be footing the bill for her defense if she's found guilty or for any other politicians guilty of a crime (ahem, Perzel, Veon and all the rest). The law allows tax money to be used to defend allegations against our elected officials but the gravy train runs out when charges are filed. That's fair, so long as investigations are handled professionally and aren't politically-motivated fishing expeditions financed by tax dollars.
But the money spent prior to the filing of charges is not recouped after guilt has been admitted or determined by the courts. That's yet another crime against taxpayers. Once convicted, they should be forced to pay restitution in the amount that they stole plus anything paid on their behalf for defense.
Taxpayers are on the hook for more than $12 million in Bonusgate legal costs, not including the cost of the investigation or prosecution. The various defendents in that case should be required to repay the whole $12 million plus, as well as the $10-plus million they illegally spent on themselves for which they were prosecuted, yet we've haven't seen any big restitution verdicts as part of the sentencing thus far. It's rare for courts to order politicians convicted of crimes to ever make the taxpayers whole again.
These criminals have little accountability to the residents for their embezzlement so it's likely that the lax penalties encourage such crimes. Making restitution a top priority might help prevent future crimes and any money recouped would be an improvement from the current status quo. Many politicians don't take their responsibility to taxpayers seriously, as evidenced by their embezzlement itself but perhaps they'd be less likely to blatantly steal our money if there was some chance they'd have to pay it back.
But the money spent prior to the filing of charges is not recouped after guilt has been admitted or determined by the courts. That's yet another crime against taxpayers. Once convicted, they should be forced to pay restitution in the amount that they stole plus anything paid on their behalf for defense.
Taxpayers are on the hook for more than $12 million in Bonusgate legal costs, not including the cost of the investigation or prosecution. The various defendents in that case should be required to repay the whole $12 million plus, as well as the $10-plus million they illegally spent on themselves for which they were prosecuted, yet we've haven't seen any big restitution verdicts as part of the sentencing thus far. It's rare for courts to order politicians convicted of crimes to ever make the taxpayers whole again.
These criminals have little accountability to the residents for their embezzlement so it's likely that the lax penalties encourage such crimes. Making restitution a top priority might help prevent future crimes and any money recouped would be an improvement from the current status quo. Many politicians don't take their responsibility to taxpayers seriously, as evidenced by their embezzlement itself but perhaps they'd be less likely to blatantly steal our money if there was some chance they'd have to pay it back.