Thread: Lawmaker who secretly pleaded guilty to felony to step down

Lawmaker who secretly pleaded guilty to felony to step down

By - Associated Press - Friday, December 16, 2016

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania state lawmaker who secretly pleaded guilty to a federal money laundering charge will resign after months of resisting pressure to step down.

Democratic Rep. Leslie Acosta of Philadelphia notified House officials Friday of her resignation effective after Jan. 3.

Acosta pleaded guilty in March to a felony charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering. But the plea agreement was placed under seal, as was the case brought against her.

In September, a federal judge unsealed a document confirming her guilty plea, after The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote about the case. She admitted aiding a scheme to embezzle hundreds of thousands of dollars from a publicly-funded mental health clinic where she once worked.

Acosta was re-elected last month, running unopposed. Under state law, she’d have to leave office upon sentencing.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...to-felony-to-/




Leslie Acosta
Pennsylvania State Representative (elect)
Leslie Acosta is a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives representing the 197th House district in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wikipedia

Born: July 7, 1971 (age 45), Puerto Rico
Party: Democratic Party
Residence: Philadelphia, PA
Office-elect: Pennsylvania State Representative (Jan 9, 2017)
Education: University of Phoenix (2003), Cairn University

OK - one law for politicians and another for us.
If we stole that much money from the taxpayers and sick people, we would be put under the jail - and rightly so.

Why wasn't she fined down to poverty, and serve a long time in jail?

Maybe lawyers, justices and other politicians don't want to set a precedent because they might have something in their background?