HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) -
A Democratic state lawmaker has been found guilty on most charges stemming from allegations he required his taxpayer-paid employees to work on his election campaigns as part of their jobs.
Rep. Bill DeWeese was convicted on three felony counts of theft, each carrying a penalty of 9-16 months in prison, as well as conflict of interest and criminal conspiracy. He was found not guilty on one other count of theft.
DeWeese, a former House speaker and a member of the House Democratic leadership for two decades, was stoned-faced as the verdict was read shortly before noon.
The Greene County lawmaker later said he believes a western Pennsylvania jury would have found him innocent.
"To pretend that this is not a disappointment would be disingenuous. It is," his attorney, William Costopoulos, said outside the courtroom. "I'm very saddened for Mr. DeWeese because I believed in the position that we set forth."
DeWeese, 61, told the court last week that he never threatened to fire staffers who refused to do campaign work, but was constantly asking them to make sure they were on leave while working on elections.
His attorney told the jury that DeWeese may have been negligent or reckless by not standing over his staffers to make sure they were filling out leave slips, but said he did not intentionally and knowingly steal from the state.
DeWeese is the first sitting lawmaker to face trial in the legislative corruption investigation started by the state attorney general's office in 2007.
Prosecutors said in addition to prison time, he will likely be ordered to pay more than $100,000 in restitution at his sentencing.
The felony convictions would bar him from holding a seat in the Legislature and would require him to forfeit his state pension.
DeWeese said he planned to appeal the conviction and seek re-election.
