Rep. Bebko-Jones case: Justice perverted

In a recent editorial, the Erie Times-News lauded the
state attorney general’s office for its handling of
the case of former State Rep. Linda Bebko-Jones,
who entered into a plea agreement on felony charges
for falsifying signatures on her re-election
petition, noting among other things that Bebko-Jones
has been in poor health since her indictment.

It's a classic case of justice perverted based upon not
what one has done, but whom one knows.

While I feel sorry for Ms. Bebko-Jones's sad dilemma,
there are ample public resources that would have
been available to sustain her medically and
otherwise - like those available to thousands
of her former constituents - had a faceless
bureaucrat in the state attorney general's office
not arbitrarily and irrationally adjudged the
punishment applied under her watered-down plea
bargain "appropriate.”

What the editorial neglected to mention is that
Bebko-Jones also received a lump sum $65,000
severance payment that would otherwise had
been forfeited if the original felony charges
had not been waived under the feckless and
ludricous plea bargain negotiated by her attorney
and the attorney general's office. It also
neglected to mention that she will likewise
retain the extravagant health and medical
benefits legislators have granted unto themselves.

While Bebko-Jones's 14 years as a state legislator
are cited by the editorial in her defense, who
knows what other questionable deeds she may have
perpetrated over the years under the thin cloak of
presumed legislative immunity? Capable of one,
capable of others?

There's no doubt that in going along with the
plea agreement, the state attorney general's
office pandered to the celebrity political
clout reflected upon Bebko-Jones's attorney,
David Ridge, by his famous brother Tom Ridge,
Corbett's fellow star Republican.

Does this mean that Mr. Corbett will also plea
bargain down the felony charges in the indictments
laid against the ten Democrat legislators so far
in the on-going legislative bonus gate scandal,
with more apparently to come, some Republicans
included, so that they too may retain their
plush legislative retirement plans, severance
pay and health benefits?

If not, Mr. Corbett could justifiably be accused
of applying a double standard. With his injudicious
handling of the Bebko-Jones case, the attorney
general has started up - or down, depending upon
one's perspective - what lawyers and judges like
to call "a slippery slope."

Perhaps all the legislators indicted in the bonus
gate scandal should retain David Ridge as their
attorney. (Not to worry, David. I won't demand a
cut of your lucrative fee, if they do).

There's no need to enact new law to govern legislative
corruption cases as suggested by the Times-News editorial.
All that's needed is for the attorney general's office
to enforce rather than eviscerate existing law on a
case by case basis.