No title

[concerned American]

...so this story made news because it was law enforcement officers and DAs. We know police drive right down the road running tags (they are starting to use programs that do this for every car using OCR). Is that not also an invasion of privacy, but the private citizen rather than the cop who is talking on duty or the DA using a publicly expensed phone?

Yes it's wrong that accused corrupt people gained access to sensitive records, but we can't really be too concerned now, when these same people have abused this loop hole for years.

This is from a professional who has worked for most mobile phone companies including Sprint-Nextel and who knows many cops. I'm sure they're phone records were protected much better than your privacy is from random scanning.

[jones]

As a side bar to all this sludge in Harrisburg ,Terry Shaffer was an aide to Pep Frank La Grotta. He blew the whistle on LaGrotta having his sister and niece on the State payroll in do nothing jobs.

When LaGrotta was investigated he blew the whistle on what is now known as bonus gate .

Out comes Miss Rain Day, Angela Bertugli having sex with DeWeese top dog Mike Manzo in 2004 in a car .

She was given a job above a cigar store in Pittsburg at 21,000 a year and is now working for the State getting paid $45,344 and climbing.

Meanwhile Terry Shaffer,who started it all is job hunting and his house is in foreclosure . Mike Manzo was arrested along with his wife.

Something is wrong with Angela given a job she knew was all play and no work. It's not as though I never knew how this same game has been played out the same way over the years. It's just a matter of Justice.

Now Sica has all these cell phone records and our legislator's are AOL without making any changes in the most corrupt State in the USA. Babettte Joseph's should be voted Miss Bonus Babe PA ? Maybe in 1958 in the back seat of a ford, but not in 2008.

[why no title]

huh ?

[need some justice]

"Sica used a subpoena" which means he went to court to ask to see the records. The judge could have easly said there was no cause or valid reason to do so if he wanted. The DA's and police don't want the judges to make these type of calls? Then the same should apply for them, don't give access to anyones records even the police.

[elektra]

need some justice wrote:

"Sica used a subpoena" which means he went to court to ask to see the records. The judge could have easly said there was no cause or valid reason to do so if he wanted. The DA's and police don't want the judges to make these type of calls? Then the same should apply for them, don't give access to anyones records even the police.

It seems the concern is not so much the release of the cell phone records, as it was done so with no notification and provided to the requisitioner, rather than a judge, or reviewed in a judges chambers.

[jones]

Thats why the symbol of lady justice is blindfolded . So she can't see how our justice system has been corrupted. Sica and DeNaples were arrested for having connections to the Bufalino crime family in more ways than were leaked out or speculated on. Perjury, payoffs and Sica with all the money on his person and the loans taken out of DeNaples bank with no attempt to pay them back? If he would have payed more attention to his parish duties he wouldn't have had to be involved with the mob.?

Loopholes to walk free is what these slime balls are grabbing at and we have enough crooked lawyers and judges in PA to make it happen. You think Rendell's wife and influence are not going to get them off the hook after being paid off ? When I see it??

[elektra]

jones wrote:

Thats why the symbol of lady justice is blindfolded . So she can't see how our justice system has been corrupted. Sica and DeNaples were arrested for having connections to the Bufalino crime family in more ways than were leaked out or speculated on. Perjury, payoffs and Sica with all the money on his person and the loans taken out of DeNaples bank with no attempt to pay them back? If he would have payed more attention to his parish duties he wouldn't have had to be involved with the mob.?
Loopholes to walk free is what these slime balls are grabbing at and we have enough crooked lawyers and judges in PA to make it happen. You think Rendell's wife and influence are not going to get them off the hook after being paid off ? When I see it??

I don't think Rendell's wife is going to risk her career for Louis or Sica. She may even think twice about helping Ed, considering the back room gossip of high circles re: his reputation with the ladies in and about Philly.

I do agree that Louie and Sica are grabbing at loop holes, and yeah his money is going to buy him help. However, there are so many converging issues and judicial systems, the bank (Federal), the trucks (state and federal), the casino (state), Theda (state and federal)... and that's just the issues that have turned up in the last 14-18 months. And, I probably missed some.

In any event, I think he's going to have a difficult time dealing his way out scott-free. I'm guessing they will deal with information on the "network" (I can not tell you how much I love his perspective on "networking") but still have heavy fines and jail time at the local country club.

One of the main reasons they want to back off the media is that it becomes more difficult to cut deals in the wake of heightened public knowledge and attention. This is why I hope Matt B. and Christina G. are still on this with the same determination they've demonstrated to-date.

[jones]

Probably why I keep rehashing it on the comment site ? Seems like a lot of interest in the real crimes are not brought around more by Matt and Christina ? Same ole .

I am still wondering about Sica's lawyer Sal Cognetti being able to get cell phone records of the prosecutors and police officers investigating him.
Does this include recorded phone conversations and is it possible Cognetti could get phone records off reporters who were called to testify as to their sources of information and were later released from testifying ?

The Barden and Bluhm thing in the Western part of the State seem to have taken the light of luster away from DeNaples , which couldn't make him happier . Lay back Earll is the chair of the committee and Jane Orie can only go so far being part of the investigation in improprieties of phone calls between legislators and licencesee's.

If Sica can get cell phone calls why can't Earll or Orie have the same clout and use their connections to get the same calls ?

[Hey Yahomos]

jones wrote:

Thats why the symbol of lady justice is blindfolded . So she can't see how our justice system has been corrupted. Sica and DeNaples were arrested for having connections to the Bufalino crime family in more ways than were leaked out or speculated on. Perjury, payoffs and Sica with all the money on his person and the loans taken out of DeNaples bank with no attempt to pay them back? If he would have payed more attention to his parish duties he wouldn't have had to be involved with the mob.?
Loopholes to walk free is what these slime balls are grabbing at and we have enough crooked lawyers and judges in PA to make it happen. You think Rendell's wife and influence are not going to get them off the hook after being paid off ? When I see it??

How sadly true !!!!!!!!!

[jones]

Hey Yahomos,
I appreciate you coming aboard but I think in your haste to do so you printed homo's instead of homies ?
Just for clarification ? I am neither one.
Welcome aboard.

[jones]

I guess I said a bad word for topix. If Gay is alright it is more acceptable and I'll accept either or as friends but it's not my game.

[Hey Yahomos]

jones wrote:

Hey Yahomos,
I appreciate you coming aboard but I think in your haste to do so you printed ****'s instead of homies ?
Just for clarification ? I am neither one.
Welcome aboard.

Thanks,

That greeting is for all the neo-liberal goofballs that support all this crap that is tearing apart the moral fabric of our society ..

ie. homosexuality, abortion, gun bans, illegal immigration, drug legalization, osama bin obama, etc. etc.

[jones]

Barack Hussein Obama ? Thanks for the clarifications.

[elektra]

I think until people can get their heads our of their partisan rear ends, there is no hope of honest government.

You are giving them what they need to win at corruption with the in-fighting.

Until there is unity of voice for the people which, like it or not, has been carried through some of the reporting at this paper, we will never succeed in moving thieves out of our state government.

There are some smart people on these blogs. The best we can do is write the AG on our concerns. There is a public hearing on the Pgh. casino decision. Not your town, right, but the course of action the PGCB takes can set precedent for the other casinos that may fall, like DeNaples, like Philadelphia... maybe one day Bethlehem. Write the PGCB and tell them how you feel about their discretionary approach to the Pgh situation and cc the AG's office. At least you can rest knowing you made the effort.