PA Gov Tom Wolf was Campaign Chairman for White Supremacist, Supported Convicted Felon

Wolf was campaign chairman and a political supporter of former York Mayor Charles Robertson, who was charged as an accomplice to murder in the 1969 death of a young black woman. A jury found Robertson not guilty in 2002.

Robertson, a former police officer, was accused of handing out rifle ammunition to a white street gang. Jurors convicted two white men of second-degree murder in the death of Lillie Belle Allen, a South Carolina woman shot as she stepped from her family’s car in a York neighborhood dominated by a white gang, the Newberry Street Boys.

Robertson told reporters before his trial that he had been a racist but that sensitivity training reformed him. He admitted to shouting “white power” during the rioting.

In a more recent association, Wolf said he continues to support former state Rep. Stephen Stetler, D-York, convicted in 2012 of six felony counts of public corruption for his alleged participation in a scheme to use public employees to do illegal campaign work.

Theirs is a friendship, Wolf said, rather than the more professional relationship he had with Robertson while trying to revitalize the city as head of a civic group. Wolf’s hometown is about nine miles north of York, and he is a prominent businessman in the region.

Stetler has appealed his conviction to Superior Court. Wolf is one of five civic leaders who led a fundraising effort to help pay Stetler’s legal bills, and he was a character witness at Stetler’s trial.

Neither situation should reflect on his ethics, Wolf said. “I believe he is a good person,” Wolf said, adding that he “respectfully disagrees with the court.”

https://archive.triblive.com/news/politics-election/dem-front-runner-wolfs-ties-provide-ammo-for-rivals/

Charlie Robertson

Robertson is most known for his role in the 1969 York Race Riot, while serving as a police officer. He helped to incite the violence by shouting, "White power!" and by allegedly giving white rioters ammunition and encouraging them to, "kill as many niggers as [they] can."[8][9] He was arrested on May 17, 2001, and released on $50,000 bail.[10] On May 27, 2001, Robertson was arraigned on murder charges stemming from his involvement in the riot; he was found not guilty on October 19, 2002.[8] While he admitted that he had shouted the racial slur (calling it "a youthful incident of ingrained police racism"), he steadfastly denied all other charges against him and refused to step down while mayor.[6][11]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Robertson_(mayor)

Stephen Stetler

In November 2008, he was named Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, succeeding Thomas W. Wolf.[10] He was unanimously confirmed by the Pennsylvania State Senate on March 31, 2009.[11] He resigned that position on December 15, 2009, hours before being charged with one count of conflict of interest, four counts of theft, and one count of criminal conspiracy by Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett (R), who has been investigating the practices of the House Democratic Caucus as a part of the "Bonusgate" investigations.[3][6] According to state prosecutors, Stetler had "required members of his staff to conduct campaign work on legislative time" while chair of the House Policy Committee.[3] Stetler was found guilty and sentenced to 1 1/2 years to 5 years in prison.

However, he has appealed his conviction and was granted a new trial in April, 2017.[12] An appeal by the PA Attorney General to dismiss the appeal was denied by the PA Supreme Court.[13]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Stetler

Bonusgate 2008: A History of Corruption in PA Democrat Legislature

12 Pennsylvania Democrats Indicted in 'BonusGate'

Mike Veon, the number two Democrat in the Pennsylvania State House, and 10 former and current legislative aides and a sitting lawmaker, State Rep. Sean M. Ramaley, were all indicted by a Grand Jury in what is being called "BonusGate"

After a 17 month probe, two state grand juries, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, have indicted 12 Democrats for alleged illegal activities and according to prosecutors, more charges are expected in what they are calling a "widespread" conspiracy within the Pennsylvania Democratic caucus to use tax payer funds to finance political activities.

At the end of 2006, after winning back control of the lower chamber, House Democrats gave nearly $1.9 million in bonuses to 717 aides - more than the other three caucuses combined.

Corbett continues on to say, "We are investigating all four caucuses of the general assembly."

In its ensuing investigation, this Grand Jury has uncovered a concerted plan to use taxpayer funds, employees and resources for political campaign purposes. Over the course of over a number of years, former representative Mike Veon and others, some named herein and others un-named, engaged in a concerted pattern of illegal conduct in which millions of dollars in taxpayer funds and resources were misdirected to campaign efforts.

The presentment goes on to list specific examples as well as presenting emails discussing the bonuses given to certain employees, the amount decided by how much political campaign efforts those employees supplied, going back as far as 2003 and 2004.

These employees were ranked by how much effort they put into the political campaigns, the rankings were 1-Rock Stars, 2- Good and 3-OK.

In an internal email sent from Mr. Eric Webb to Mr. Mike Manzo, it is explained how those rankings were determined (Page 9-10).

Namely, I based my decisions on the number of days people spent in the field, but a few people were bumped up or down based on other circumstances. For example, some folks were bumped up for extra efforts, like being a Phone Book Captain, helping with the Spanish phone bank or really helping Dan or Jess.

There were three attachments to that email titled, Rockstar, Good and OK, and in each attachment was a list of names.

In testimony given by Eric Webb, he said that his reference to Dan and Jess, was a reference to Dan Weidemer and Jess Walls, who were "the two individuals in charge of the House Democratic Campaign Committee.

Webb also confirmed that the information on these ranking list only pertained to campaign work.

There are quite a few emails in the Harrisburg Grand Jury Presentment as well as more information of other improprieties pertaining to the use of taxpayers funds for political campaigns.

More details that emerge from the Harrisburgh Grand Jury Presentment, show that the investigation led to other improprieties conducted by staffers and lawmakers.

For example, former legislative staffer Mike Manzo got his lover "a $29,000 job and $7,000 bonus mostly for doing her schoolwork."

Other alleged illegal uses for taxpayers monies:

• In 2005, Manzo, then chief of staff to House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese, gave a $21,000-a-year state job with virtually no duties to Angela Bertugli, a young woman he'd had a sexual relationship with since the previous summer.

The following year she made $29,000 plus a $7,000 bonus, even though other staffers never saw her and she had no discernible responsibilities.

Manzo's wife, Rachel, another former legislative staffer, also is charged with steering public money to political activities.

• Former House whip Mike Veon and Manzo directed more than $1 million in taxpayer-funded bonuses to legislative employees for working on political campaigns, often on state time.

• In 2004, Veon used two state employees to drive his and his wife's motorcycles to South Dakota for their vacation so they could fly there and find the bikes waiting. Taxpayers covered their staffers' expenses to the tune of $1,500.

• After state Rep. Sean Ramaley won the 2004 Democratic primary for a Beaver County legislative seat, Veon gave him a "no-work" state job and allowed him to run his general-election campaign from Veon's office, with state employees doing much of the work.

• Veon used state money to buy dinner spreads for his friends after their regular Tuesday night basketball games. Over four years, the tab came to more than $22,000.

• Attorney Jeff Forman collected a state salary ranging from $103,000 to $126,000 as Veon's chief of staff while doing private law work on state time and charging taxpayers for comp time he didn't earn.

http://m.digitaljournal.com/article/257287