Lawyer: Senate search set bad precedent
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HARRISBURG (AP) – The lawyer for a former state senator serving prison time for public corruption is telling an appeals panel she’s hoping to preserve the sanctity of Senate records from overreaching prosecutors.
A three-judge Pennsylvania Superior Court panel on Tuesday heard arguments in the appeal by former state Sen. Jane Orie. She’s scheduled for release in February from a 2½- to 10-year prison term.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that defense attorney Bill Costopoulos argued that a raid of Orie’s Senate office in 2009 could set a bad precedent. Investigators seized computer hard drives in the raid.
Costopoulos says the 52-year-old Allegheny County Republican also wants to clear her name.
The newspaper says a prosecutor argued the conviction should stand.