HARRISBURG -- A preliminary hearing has been set for a cadre of current and former lawmakers and legislative staffers at the center of an alleged government corruption scandal.

The hearing for the 12, including former House Democratic Whip Mike Veon of Beaver Falls and state Rep. Sean Ramaley, D-Economy, is scheduled for Oct. 7.

They are to appear before Dauphin County Common Pleas President Judge Richard A. Lewis.

The hearing is likely to include testimony from witnesses and new details about the defendants' alleged roles in the misuse of a purported $3 million in public money, said Kevin Harley, spokesman for state Attorney General Tom Corbett.

"We have to put out enough evidence to convince the court that the case should go to trial," he said. "We'll present evidence or testimony to corroborate the charges."

Charges against the 12 include theft, criminal conspiracy and conflict of interest for allegedly running a multimillion-dollar scheme to divert public funds to campaigns. At the center of the case are taxpayer-funded bonuses of up to $25,000 each that were given to legislative staffers who worked on political campaigns in 2004 and 2006.

The hearing could take several days, Mr. Harley said.

It is the second step in the legal process, which began July 10 with arrests and preliminary arraignments before Dauphin County District Judge Joseph Solomon. At that time, Judge Solomon said he might recuse himself from the case because he knew at least three of the defendants.

"It's not unusual in cases like this, with so many defendants, for a president judge to want to take it himself," Mr. Harley said.