DeWeese stands accused of ordering and condoning political activity, between 2001 and 2007, by state employees who were on the taxpayer dime and time.
The onetime Democratic speaker and House leader has maintained from the start that he is not guilty.
"The allegations against Bill DeWeese are petty, and this case will go down in history as 'Pettygate,' " said his attorney, Bill Costopoulos.
Prosecutors counter that DeWeese's legislative and campaign staffs were virtually one and the same, and that DeWeese not only knew of the political activity but purposely hired people onto his legislative staff to do nothing more than election work.
"Practically every aspect of his campaign - whether fund-raising, mailers, advertising, signs or door-to-door canvassing - was performed by legislative employees," according to the 2009 grand jury presentment against DeWeese.
What's more, prosecutors allege, DeWeese threatened to fire or otherwise punish legislative employees who he felt weren't doing enough election work, particularly in 2006, when the legislature's polling numbers were at historic lows.
From the start, DeWeese's defense has been that election work did indeed take place during legislative hours - but that the legislator directed his staff to do such work on their lunch hour, or using vacation, compensatory, or personal time.
The fiery and occasionally bombastic lawmaker has said that he had fully cooperated with the Attorney General's Office, and that he had even testified before the grand jury for a full day.
