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| Allentown, Pa. Mayor Ed Pawlowski arrives at federal court in Philadelphia today |
The Morning Call reports:
Allentown, Pa. Mayor Ed Pawlowski, who federal prosecutors say engineered a pay-to-play scheme, made his first appearance in federal court in Philadelphia on Thursday morning.
Pawlowski arrived at the courthouse about 11 a.m. for a first reading of the criminal charges he faces in the alleged corruption case.
The mayor, who has led the state’s third largest city for nearly a dozen years, faces more than 50 counts, including extortion, bribery and fraud, in the case that a federal prosecutor likened to selling City Hall to the highest bidder.
Two indictments unsealed Wednesday spell out charges against five people in parallel corruption cases in Allentown and Reading. Both focus on the cities’ mayors, who according to acting U.S. Attorney Louis Lappen orchestrated pay-to-play schemes by ensuring city contracts went to people or companies that contributed hundreds or thousands of dollars to their campaigns.
Pawlowski has maintained his innocence and vowed to fight the charges.
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