A former Bucks County supervisor who pressured employees to politick on the taxpayers’ dime, tallied illicit comp time in a secret ledger, and then shredded evidence as investigators closed in, pleaded guilty Wednesday to theft and other charges.
Candace Quinn became the first of four high-ranking officials charged March 4 in the county Register of Wills Office corruption scandal to admit wrongdoing.
The others – Barbara Reilly, who ruled the elected office for 35 years; First Deputy James McCullen; and former Second Deputy Rebecca Kiefer – are scheduled for trial Nov. 28.
Quinn, 53, of Bristol, “wanted to get this over with,” said Deputy District Attorney Robin Twombly.
Getting past it might take a while. Quinn, who was offered no deal for her plea, is a potential witness in her former cohorts’ trials, and will not be sentenced until afterward.
The most serious crimes she committed, felony theft and conspiracy, carry potential maximum sentences of seven years each. And Quinn’s pre-November plea could further inflame the election-year rhetoric already surrounding the corruption case.
Democrats, frustrated by nearly three decades of Republican control of county government, say the scandal is the sort of thing that happens when one party is in power for too long.
Republicans counter that Reilly’s political fiefdom was an elected row office, its daily workings removed from county commissioners’ oversight. They note that the staffs of two GOP elected officials – County Controller Raymond McHugh and District Attorney David Heckler – wound up taking Reilly down.
“The political hay that people try to make out of this, whether that hay is wet and moldy or fit for consumption, is a decision the voters will make,” Heckler said Wednesday.
Reilly, who has been out on extended medical leave, is not seeking reelection. Quinn and her lawyer, Douglas Rosenblum, declined to comment after the hearing.
In addition to her felony pleas, Quinn pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of obstructing law enforcement, official oppression, tampering with evidence, tampering with records, and conspiracy.
She also pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor theft charge and a related conspiracy count.
The pleas were accepted by Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Senior Judge John Braxton, who is hearing the case because of potential conflicts of interest among Bucks County’s mostly Republican bench.
Until her resignation last spring, Quinn worked in Reilly’s office for 18 years, rising to become a trusted administrator.
As such, prosecutors say, Quinn helped direct an office rife with corruption and intimidation, where employees were forced to perform political work on county time and were punished for resisting.
“This practice of illegally paying employees for doing political work was able to continue for so long because of the people Reilly put in place to help her run her office,” states a grand jury presentment supporting the charges.
Attribution:
Woman pleads guilty in Bucks register of wills scandal
Larry King
September 15, 2011
The Inquirer
http://articles.philly.com/2011-09-15/news/30160616_1_row-office-misdemeanor-theft-charge-plea
Estate of Denial® provides news, analysis and commentary on abusive practices occurring in probate courts and via probate instruments (wills, trusts, guardianships, powers of attorney). We provide original perspective to educate the public regarding this growing threat to both individual freedoms and property rights.
