Mike Veon

HARRISBURG -- Testimony given by "Bonusgate" defendant-turned-witness Patrick Lavelle Jr. was swept away when Michael Manzo, the former chief of staff to House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese, took the stand Wednesday to give his explosive testimony.

But the former aide to House Minority Whip Mike Veon (D-Beaver County) gave a detailed account in a Court of Common Pleas in Dauphin County of he alleges was his nearly full-time job as his boss' fundraiser while ostensibly working as a state employee.

Lavelle raised about $2.5 million for Veon, he testified, organizing fundraisers under the direction of his boss and Jeff Foreman, a former Veon aide. Anna Marie Perretta-Rosepink, who sat 15 yards from Lavelle as a defendant while he testified, helped him organize the events, he said.

UPDATED: House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese knew bonuses were illegally being paid to legislative staffers in exchange for political work, according to testimony given Wednesday by his former chief of staff Michael Manzo.

"I believe he did, yes," Manzo said.

DeWeese has repeatedly denied any involvement in "Bonusgate."

HARRISBURG -- Even after the former lawmaker waved his preliminary hearing, ex-House Minority Whip Mike Veon (D-Beaver County) and his Beaver Falls district office took center stage at Tuesday's "Bonusgate" hearing at a Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas in Dauphin County.

The former power broker's name was used early and often during the preliminary trial of two Beaver County politicos -- state Rep. Sean Ramaley (D-Beaver County) and Veon's district office director Anna Marie Perretta-Rosepink --  often by prosecutors who accussed his district office of being a haven for illegal taxpayer-funded campaigning.

Ramaley and Perretta-Rosepink, who sat stone-faced next to each during the nearly daylong trial, were the only two of the 12 charged House Democratic staffers and lawmakers who did not wave their preliminary hearing.

The hearing provided little information not present in the voluminous presentment unveiled by Attorney General Tom Corbett in July. It did, however, provide the faces behind many of the presentment's accusations and gave the defendants' attorneys a chance to cross-examine.  

HARRISBURG -- An aide to former House Minority Whip Mike Veon (D-Beaver County) testified Tuesday he was directed to campaign full-time for then state representative candidate Sean Ramaley while ostensibly assigned to Veon's district office for constituent services.

Stephen Webb, who worked in the House Democratic Research Office, was one of a parade of witnesses called by prosecutors during the preliminary hearing for State Rep. Sean Ramaley (D-Beaver County) and ex-Veon staffer Anna Marie Perretta-Rosepink, the only two of 12 charged in "Bonusgate" who didn't wave their hearing.

The focus of the afternoon's  testimony focused on Beaver County, where Ramaley, Perretta-Rosepink, and Veon are from. Webb's testimony, much of which was made public during the attorney general's presentment in July, in particular harped on what he said was his role as Ramaley's de-facto campaign manager before the candidate's general election face-off in November of 2004.

A staffer in former House Minority Whip Mike Veon's (D-Beavery County) district office testified Tuesday she dedicated large swaths of time to campaign work at the expense of her assigned constituent and legislative duties.

Melissa Lewis, a former legislative aide in Veon's Beaver Falls district office, alleged the widespread illegal activity while testifying in a Dauphin County Courthouse at the preliminary hearings of state Rep. Sean Ramaley (D-Beaver County) and Anna Marie Perretta-Rosepink. Ramaley and House aide Perretta-Rosepink were the only two defendants of the 12 charged in connection with Bonugate who didn't wave their preliminary hearing.

Independent candidate Jay Paisley's chance at earning a spot on November's ballot will likely come down to Friday's deadline.

The former Democrat, who is challenging Republican Elder Vogel and Democrat Sean Ramaley in the 47th Senatorial District, told PolitickerPA.com he has collected 1,000 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon -- half the number needed to be put on the ticket. About 60 of his volunteers will continue scouring for signatures until Friday morning if necessary, Paisley said.

He gave himself about a 55 percent chance of success.

"But if we don't," he said, "the honest to goodness reason is we just ran out of time."

Every day this week, PolitickerPA.com will publish an allegation from the "Bonusgate" presentment released Thursday by Attorney General Tom Corbett. Although the indictments have received intense scrutiny, many interesting stories within the voluminous presentment have still gone unreported.

PolitickerPA.com reminds readers these are still only allegations, and each person implicated is still innocent until proven guilty.

Taxpayers were holding the bill for weekly post-basketball dinners held by members of the House Democratic Caucus, according to Attorney General Tom Corbett's 73-page presentment.

Caucus member Karen Steiner testified former House Minority Whip Mike Veon (D-Beaver County) and other House Democrats from 2002 to 2006 would regularly play basketball Tuesday night before retreating to Veon's office for dinner, page 72 of the presentment says. Steiner and Melissa Lewis would take food orders from the players, order and purchase it, and then have it ready for the players when they returned, it alleges.

Every morning this week, PolitickerPA.com will publish an allegation from the "Bonusgate" presentment released Thursday by Attorney General Tom Corbett. Although the indictments have received intense scrutiny, many interesting stories within the voluminous presentment have still gone unreported.

PolitickerPA.com reminds readers these are still only allegations, and each person implicated is still innocent until proven guilty.

Opposition research was such a major effort within the House Democratic Caucus that much of an entire legislative office was dedicated to it, Attorney General Tom Corbett alleges in his presentment.

In early 2005, Eric Webb, newly appointed director of Office of Member Services, sent a memo to Minority Whip Mike Veon (D-Beaver County) and former Bill DeWeese chief of staff Mike Manzo detailing his plan to centralize all opposition research in his new office, according to page 50 of the presentment.

Gov. Ed Rendell delivers opening remarks at the NGA meeting with Gov. Tim Pawlenty, left, and Mayor Michael Nutter, rightPHILADELPHIA -- After his brief opening remarks kicked off this weekend's centennial meeting of the National Governors Association here Friday, PolitickerPA.com caught up with Gov. Ed Rendell for a brief interview on the famous Art Museum steps.

Rendell is poised to assume leadership of the NGA this weekend from current chair Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota.

In his opening remarks, he thanks the NGA for choosing Philadelphia, and made sure to point out the scenery of the steps, where Sylverster Stalone's "Rocky" famously trained in the movie.

"You're welcome to try it; there's no liability to the city or the state if anyting happens going up the stairs," he cracked, "but you're welcome to try it."

Here is PolitickerPA.com's interview with Rendell.

Former House Minority Whip Mike Veon (D-Beaver County) is led to his arraignment in handcuffs.: Politicker Photo

HARRISBURG -- Eleven of the House Democratic Caucus members implicated Thursday in "Bonusgate" arrived Friday morning at Magisterial District Judge Joseph Solomon's office across the street from the Susquehanna River.

They were in handcuffs.

That was perhaps the most surprising aspect, and certainly most jarring visual, of an otherwise typical series of arraignments, at least as typical as it gets the day after Attorney General Tom Corbett revealed one of the biggest scandals in Pennsylvania political history.