Top Pa. Republican charged with corruption

HARRISBURG, Pa., Nov. 12 (UPI) -- A leading Republican in the Pennsylvania legislature and nine others were charged Thursday with spending millions in state funds on campaign research.

The indictment of former House Speaker John Perzel, former Rep. Brett Feese and several current or former aides was the latest chapter in an investigation into public corruption that began in 2007, Attorney General Tom Corbett said. A previous case targeted Democrats.

Perzel allegedly spent more than $10 million in taxpayer money on campaign technology, much of it for Candidate Connect, software allowing the tracking of voters. Corbett, a Republican, said Perzel, who represents a Philadelphia district, became obsessed after a close election in 2000.

"Through the use of a small, but loyal and close-knit group, Perzel embarked on his plan to use technology to gain a competitive advantage in campaigns, for himself and other candidates throughout the state in order to maintain and increase his power," Corbett's office said in a statement.

Perzel also punished Republicans who failed to obey him by arranging untraceable "robocalls" in their districts, Corbett said.

In a statement, Perzel accused Corbett of "political opportunism," bringing the case to benefit his own campaign for governor next year, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.