Pennsylvania Attorney General Kane faces charges over document leak

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Reports confirmed Thursday that Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane will face criminal charges for leaking confidential documents and lying about the act under oath.

Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman approved of a grand jury's recommendation to arrest Kane, 49, for releasing documents to the Philadelphia Daily News in March 2015 about a 2009 investigation headed by former state prosecutor, Frank Fina. The investigation in question involved the financial assets of Philadelphia NAACP head, J. Whyatt Mondesire. Kane used a political consultant named Joshua Morrow to deliver the documents to Daily News reporter Chris Brennan.

Although Mondesire was not charged, it is believed that Kane publicized confidential documents linked to the investigation in order to show Fina's clumsy handling of the case. Fina has denied such accusations.

Kane also blamed Fina for an article in a publication local to Philadelphia in which it was revealed that Kane shut down a probe that caught Philadelphia democrats accepting cash from an undercover individual. Fina had organized this probe. It was determined that Kane released the 2009 documents as a way of getting even and that Kane lied about doing this when asked about it under oath.

One of Kane's lawyers, Gerald Shargel, was not able to confirm whether Kane would face charges or not. He only restated Kane's own denial that she has done nothing wrong and that she will not resign from public office if she is arrested.

Kane was the first democrat and first female to be elected as the state's attorney general. Ferman is also a Republican who is running for a judgeship in the fall election.