Jane Orie, Former Pennsylvania State Senator, Sentenced To Prison

PITTSBURGH -- A former Pennsylvania state senator has been sentenced to prison on charges that she illegally used her legislative staff to do campaign work and then forged documents to cover it up.

Republican Jane Orie was ordered to serve her 2 1/2- to 10-year state prison sentence immediately Monday and was taken from the courtroom.

The 50-year-old suburban Pittsburgh attorney was convicted of five felony counts involving theft of service and conflict of interest for using her state-funded staff to perform political fundraising and campaign work, and nine related misdemeanors. She resigned from the Senate in May.

It was not yet known if Orie must pay up to $2 million in restitution, as well as legal fees spent on her behalf by the state GOP caucus.

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Comments

[Jim Lottle]

11:15 AM on 02/24/2013

a state penitenuary womens jail Muncy prison for what

[pciorlandosales]

12:15 AM on 06/06/2012

She can write to Scott Walker when he is locked up and they can be prison to prison pen pals lol

[Jim Pasterczyk]

01:48 AM on 06/05/2012

Another Repo who doesn't agree with the 13th Amendment.

[ConnieInCleveland]

06:34 PM on 06/04/2012

Accountability, shame and justice! That's one the Justice Department didn't 'move along' to. How many more could they prosecute?

Too many are judged in the 'court of public opinion', then we are purposefully moved along by so-called news outlets. IMHO, if our Justice Department did their job and stopped moving along to the wrongs, people would be afraid to commit crimes. The way it has been working, they are judged in the 'court of public opinion', where their are no consequences, they don't even feel shame. There is no accountability for dishonesty, so they do it with reckless abandon.

IMHO, 'the truth and nothing but the truth' is what we need to lead us back to the America we were meant to be. We are better than this! It's time for our Justice Department to prove it!

[edward60]

06:11 PM on 06/04/2012

Good story with a happy ending

[PennLawyer]

03:43 PM on 06/04/2012

"Orie was charged with forgery after a first trial in early 2011, in which she was accused of using her legislative staff to perform campaign work. That trial came to an abrupt end during the first full day of jury deliberation when prosecutors accused Orie of submitted doctored documents to the court to support her case.

"The sin is overborn by the deflection; the crime overshadowed by the cover up," Judge Manning said. During his comments to Orie today, Judge Manning called that day, March 3, 2011, "the most disturbing and disheartening" in his 24 years on the bench.

"The act of a lawyer and former prosecutor submitting fraudulent exhibits, he said, is the "ultimate lawyer's transgression," which could not be a "more flagrant and disgraceful violation" of the attorney's oath.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-north/jane-orie-sentenced-to-prison-638894/#ixzz1wr61C8g5

[Karl Hildebrand]

03:19 PM on 06/04/2012

Scott Walker may soon be joining you.

[hotbarb2614]

01:15 AM on 06/05/2012

I was just thinking the same thing F&F

[pciorlandosales]

12:18 AM on 06/06/2012

What a kick in the pants for the Wisconsin voters lol !! Walker wins his ugly 30 million dollar recall election just to be tossed in prison lol

[ariadne104]

02:20 PM on 06/04/2012

Wow! A senator goes to prison and doesn't get big press, I'm flabbergasted!

[pciorlandosales]

12:16 AM on 06/06/2012

Former