A former top staffer for Pennsylvania state House Democrats was sentenced Monday to 18 to 48 months in prison for his role in a legislative bonus scandal. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
Michael Manzo, a Monaca native, cut a deal with prosecutors in 2009 and became the star witness against former House Democratic Whip Mike Veon, formerly of Beaver Falls, and former House Speaker Bill DeWeese, D-Waynesburg. …
The legislative bonus scandal that rocked the Capitol from 2007 to 2010 was "his (Manzo`s) brain child," Dauphin County Judge Richard Lewis said. …
The judge also sentenced Manzo to three years of probation, a $22,000 fine and $73,000 in restitution, and he voluntarily agreed to forfeit his estimated $700,000 state pension. He could be eligible for release fromstate prison in 20 months. He must report May 15.