Yet federal prosecutors have accused both of using their influence - Bryant and Fumo were the ranking Democrats on their state budget committees - to illegally line their own pockets.
In one of the most striking portions of the Fumo indictment, prosecutors quoted the senator as describing his philosophy of spending "OPM" - other people's money.
Those of more modest means might be tempted to ask: Why would such men feel the need to cut corners?
Was it greed?
Arrogance?
Ignorance?
"I don't know. They're all great questions," said Bob Goldman, a former federal prosecutor in Philadelphia who now defends white-collar cases. "Maybe you need Tony Soprano's psychiatrist."
Fumo, indicted in February, has pleaded not guilty, and his attorney has called the prosecution politically motivated. Bryant, indicted last month, is expected to plead not guilty at a hearing in Trenton today. Neither Bryant nor his attorney have commented on the charges.
Although prosecutors don't have to prove a motive to win their cases, juries prefer explanations for defendants' behavior.
In the Fumo and Bryant cases, prosecutors have stuck to the simplest explanation: greed.
Christopher Christie, the U.S. attorney for New Jersey, described Bryant's "insatiable desire for more public money to put in his own pocket."
Patrick L. Meehan, the U.S. attorney for Pennsylvania, said Fumo "felt entitled to reach deeply into the pockets" of taxpayers.
Typical white-collar prosecutions don't involve wealthy defendants. When someone from a rarified tax bracket gets snared - whether Michael Milken or Martha Stewart - the public takes notice, often to wonder why.
