By Kevin Zwick
Staff Reporter
Capitolwire
HARRISBURG (Nov. 20) – The Attorney General’s investigation into “pay-to-play” activities at the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission ended Thursday without a jury trial.
The two remaining defendants, former Turnpike chief executive officer Joseph Brimmeier and former chief operating officer George Hatalowich, each pleaded guilty Thursday to a felony conflict of interest charge.
Both received a sentence of 60 months’ probation, a $2,500 fine, and 250 hours of community service. Senior Deputy Attorney General Barney Anderson said Thursday the state won’t prosecute the remaining charges against Brimmeier and Hatalowich as part of the plea agreement.
Brimmeier, a close campaign confidant to former Gov. Ed Rendell, admitted to accepting free hospitality and campaign contributions for Rendell from Orth-Rodgers and Associates Inc. while taking official action to steer contracts to the firm, according to the plea agreement.
Hatalowich, who a grand jury said “exerted tremendous influence over the internal processes at the Turnpike,” admitted to receiving free hospitality and gifts while influencing the awarding of contracts in favor of McTish, Kunkle and Associates Inc., an engineering firm that received multi-million dollar contracts with the Turnpike.
He accepted a $4,000 travel voucher, tickets to Pittsburgh Pirates games and use of a company apartment from the firm, according to the grand jury presentment, which highlighted email exchanges between a McTish manager and Hatalowich over baseball tickets, the use of an apartment and a pending Turnpike contract.
The investigation started under then-Attorney General Tom Corbett.
While the charges were announced last March by Attorney General Kathleen Kane with the roar of a high-profile press conference, the case is petering out with the whimper of a series of plea deals.
Brimmeier and Hatalowich were charged along with former Turnpike chairman Mitchell Rubin, former Senate Democratic leader Bob Mellow, and a vendor and a consultant.
The case against Mellow was dropped completely in October. Rubin last week pleaded guilty to one count of commercial bribery and received a sentence of two years’ probation and will have to pay a few thousand dollars in fines and court fees.
Dennis Miller, a vendor, and business consultant Jeffery Suzenski were admitted into a probation program for first-time offenders.
Kane’s office says the outcome of the case is “reasonable” and should serve as a cautionary tale for government employees.
“I think it’s a sound warning to all employees of state agencies and public employees that this kind of conduct is illegal and there are consequences,” said J.J. Abbott, spokesman for the OAG.
