A stone-faced Perzel, speaking in uncharacteristically soft tones, stood Wednesday morning before Dauphin County Court Judge Richard A. Lewis, hands clasped in front of him, glasses perched on his nose, and pleaded guilty to eight counts of conspiracy, theft, and conflict of interest. He faces from 18 months to 24 years in prison plus a $50,000 fine.
Never one to shy away from a tough question, Perzel was silent as he shouldered his way through a throng of reporters to exit the courthouse under the glaring lights of TV cameras.
In a statement released soon after, he offered this apology:
"To the people of Pennsylvania; to the voters who put their trust in me for the 32 years that I had the privilege of serving the 172d District; and to my family and friends, I want to express my profound regret for my actions. You had a right to expect better from me, and I am sorry that I let you down."
In the statement, he stopped short of accepting full responsibility for the crimes prosecutors say were committed: "The truth is that as the legislative leader of my caucus, I oversaw the spending of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds, and I bear the responsibility for the improprieties that occurred in the spending of those dollars. It was up to me to see that taxpayer funds were spent only for the betterment of the people of Pennsylvania, and not for my political benefit of that of my party."
As part of his plea agreement, Perzel is expected to testify against the remaining defendants in the case, dubbed "Computergate" by the court. Four others are scheduled to be tried this month, including Brian Preski, Perzel's former chief of staff, and former State Rep. Brett Feese, a Republican from Lycoming County. A former aide to Perzel faces a separate trial this year.
