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#16
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04-15-2009, 01:17 PM
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Re: Budd Dwyer, Commits Suicide During News Conference: Hi-Quality
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budd_Dwyer During the early 1980s, state employees overpaid millions of dollars in Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes. As a result, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania began accepting bids from companies to calculate the amount of the refund each employee was due. One firm, the California-based Computer Technology Associates, was owned by a Harrisburg native named John Torquato, Jr., who used his area connections and a series of bribes to obtain the contract, worth a reputed $4.6 million. An anonymous memo reached the office of Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh informing him of what had happened. In late 1986, Budd Dwyer was charged with agreeing to receive a kickback of $300,000. A plea bargain was made for Torquato, Dauphin County Republican Party Chairman William Smith (Torquato's attorney), and Smith's wife. The plea bargain required them to testify against Dwyer. This, coupled with the government's refusal to name unindicted co-conspirators in the case, made it difficult for Dwyer to defend himself. The unindicted co-conspirators are believed to have been staff members of the Dauphin County Republican Party. During this time, the district's United States Attorney offered Dwyer a plea bargain that carried a maximum of five years in prison in exchange for a guilty plea on one count of accepting a bribe, resignation, and cooperation in the investigation. Dwyer refused the offer, and was later found guilty but continued to profess his innocence vehemently, as did others who were close to him. Under state law, Dwyer could continue to serve as state treasurer until his sentencing. The maximum sentence Dwyer was facing was 55 years imprisonment and a $300,000 fine. However, his co-defendant, former state Republican Party chairman Robert Asher, was given a year in jail. Asher later returned to politics, and served as a Republican National Committeeman for Pennsylvania. |
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#20
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04-15-2009, 11:20 PM
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Re: Budd Dwyer, Commits Suicide During News Conference: Hi-Quality
its crazy how the blood dumps from his nose like that. that means his heart is still beating, i wonder if you are still somewhat able to feel the life force slowly drain from your body before death with something like that |