Judge clears state representative in contempt hearing, chides accusers

[Judi Lynn]

Friday, June 17, 2005

Judge clears state representative in contempt hearing, chides accusers

HARRISBURG – A state representative charged in a white-powder hoax complied with an order to correct his 2003 campaign-finance report, a Commonwealth Court judge said Wednesday.

Constituents who challenged state Rep. Jeffrey E. Habay's corrected report were being "petty and picky," Judge Robert E. Simpson Jr. said. Among them was the man whom police said Habay tried to set up in the alleged hoax.

Seven months ago, Simpson found that Habay's report included several substantial violations of election law. Habay made amendments to his 2003 reports since November that sufficiently corrected the violations, Simpson said Wednesday.

"All along this has been a personal vendetta. I know we won a resounding victory today," Habay said afterward.

Simpson's ruling came one day before Habay, a six-term Allegheny County Republican, was due in court for a preliminary hearing on criminal charges he lied about getting white powder in the mail and 20 other allegations. Habay has pleaded not guilty to making up the story that he had received suspicious powder in the mail from one of the five constituents, George P. Radich.
(snip/...)

http://www.observer-reporter.com/283550109395663.bsp

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State Rep. Charged in Anthrax Hoax

Mar 30, 2005 3:42 pm US/Eastern
Glenshaw (AP) State Rep. Jeffrey E. Habay was charged Wednesday for allegedly lying about a white powder he said he received in the mail from a contituent who was critical of him.

Allegheny County authorities charged Habay, 38, with facsimile weapons of mass destruction, falsely incriminating another and fictious reports for claiming in May that he received an envelope in his home that contained a suspicious white powder.

The US Postal Inspection Service had said the powder was harmless.

In court documents, authorities claim Habay said the package came from George Radich, a constituent who along with four others asked Commonwealth Court to conduct an audit of Habay's political action committee, the Friends of Jeff Habay.

Radich had insisted the powder was not there when he mailed the letter and said he did not try to hide his identity when mailing it. Postal officials said Radich paid for the mailing with a credit card, an unusual thing to do if someone had put the powder in the envelope.
(snip/...)

http://kdka.com/local/local_story_089152709.html
(article written immediately after charges)

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Habay faces list of charges on harassing political foes
Thursday, March 31, 2005

By James O'Toole, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



The Allegheny County district attorney has filed a 20-count complaint against state Rep. Jeffrey E. Habay, R-Shaler, charging him, among others things, with falsely claiming to police that a political opponent had sent him an envelope containing suspicious white powder.

The political harassment charges, filed yesterday, outline a broad pattern of vindictive acts by the veteran lawmaker aimed at opponents who had questioned his official spending.

With the complaint, the district attorney joins the state Ethics Commission and the state Attorney General's office in targeting Habay's conduct in office.

Habay, 38, a graduate of Fox Chapel Area High School and American University, was the youngest member of the state House when he was elected in 1994. Now he faces a litany of complaints of ethical and criminal lapses.
(snip/...)

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05090/480359.stm

http://www.post-gazette.com.nyud.net:8090/images3/20050331jap_jh_habayPJ_230.jpg
John Heller, Associated Press
Pennsylvania State Rep. Jeffrey
Habay, R-Shaler, faces a 20-count
complaint.

[TahitiNut]

1. So, is Judge Robert E. Simpson Jr. on the GOP payroll?

:eyes: