Nov 23, 2016 2 min read

Former state representative Bill DeWeese, convicted in 2012 of misusing public resources for political purposes, has lost another bid for a new trial.

In an order issued Nov. 10, Dauphin County Court Judge William T. Tully dismissed DeWeese’s appeal seeking a new trial under the Post Conviction Relief Act, according to online court records. The act gives defendants a final opportunity to challenge their convictions based on constitutional violations or ineffective counsel.

DeWeese, 66, who served 35 in the Legislature and was a former House speaker, was convicted in February 2012 for illegally using state employees and other public resources for political campaigns between 2001 and 2006. He was sentenced to 2 ½ to 5 years in prison and released on parole early, in March 2014, under a program for first-time, nonviolent offenders.

In 2013, the state Supreme Court refused to consider an appeal of a Superior Cout ruling upholding DeWeese’s conviction.

At a hearing on the latest challenge in April, DeWeese had argued that the trial judge improperly limited the number of witnesses he could call who would testify about repeated warnings he gave staff not to campaign on state time.

In his decision, however, Tully noted DeWeese had presented 42 witnesses at trial, many of whom testified DeWeese had given orders to keep campaign and state work separate, according to a story published Nov. 15 by PennLive.

The trial transcript “reveals no evidence of partiality, prejudice, bias or ill-will,” Tully wrote. DeWeese’s own testimony and that of prosecution witnesses “was sufficient to prove (DeWeese’s) guilt beyond a reasonable doubt,” he said.

DeWeese can appeal Tully’s decision to the state Superior Court. DeWeese’s attorney, Gaetan Alfano, could not be reached Wednesday morning for comment.