Case Details

Year Initiated/Committed

2005

Year Resolved

2014

Lead State

PA

Participating States

Defendant(s)

Robert Mellow

Offenses

two counts corrupt organizations, two counts of restricted activities, one count of commercial bribery, one count of unlawful bid-rigging, one count of restricted activities, one count of criminal conspiracy, and one count of failure to file expense account.

Sentence Imposed

Dismissed

Case Description

The Pennsylvania Attorney General charged 8 men with a “pay to play” scheme involving contracts with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Authority. Defendant Mellow was the Democratic leader of the state Senate. The Grand Jury report alleged that he was actively involved in steering Turnpike contracts to particular vendors, imposting fundarising participation on Turnpike executive staff and Turnpike vendors, and personally benefiting from sports entertainment paid for by a significant vendor with the Turnpike. The grand juryy found that the eight individuals committed and ateempted to commit illegal bid-rigging, commercial bribery, conflict of interest, theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, criminal conspiracy and acting as a corrupt organization engaging in a pattern of racketeering activity.