HARRISBURG -- A prosecutor this morning painted a picture of a loyal, hardworking cadre of legislative aides who were motivated by power and money, who stole millions of dollars from the state to run their bosses's re-election campaigns, and who celebrated political successes by smoking cigars at lavish parties.

Prosecutor Patrick Blessington used those images to lay the groundwork for a high-profile government corruption case that got underway in earnest today.

The defense team, meanwhile, is planning a combined five-hour opening later today.

On trial are former state Rep. Mike Veon, 53, of Harrisburg and former legislative aides Stephen Keefer, 39, of Fredericksburg; Annamarie Perretta-Rosepink, 47, of Beaver Falls and Brett Cott, 37, of Harrisburg.

All are charged with multiple felony counts of theft, conflict of interest and conspiracy.

They are accused of using tax dollars and other public resources to fund political campaigns of House Democratic incumbents. Among the accusations are that they conspired to disperse more than $1.5 million in public funds as bonuses ostensibly for legislative work but actually for campaign work between 2004 and 2006.

Mr. Veon and former aide Mike Manzo, a co-defendant who pleaded guilty and is cooperating with authorities, knew they couldn't overtly announce they were giving bonuses for campaign work because it's illegal, Mr. Blessington said. Instead, they waited for employees to figure out for themselves that those working on campaigns were getting bonuses, he said.

"It was a brilliant scheme, brilliant, and it worked like a charm," Mr. Blessington told jurors. "It was very apparent right form the beginning that those bonuses were directly related to campaign work."

The bonus program got its start in 2004. By 2006, a crucial election year in which Democrats narrowly won the House majority, there was "a veritable army" of staffers eagerly volunteering for campaigns and expecting to be compensated later with bonuses, Mr. Blessington said.

A Harrisburg jury of eight women and four men are hearing the case in Dauphin County Common Pleas Court. The trial is expected to last most or all of February.

"It's going to be a long trial," Judge Richard Lewis told jurors.

More than 50 observers are in the courtroom this morning along with eight prosecutors and five defense attorneys.

Mr. Veon represented Beaver County in the legislature for more than two decades.

Follow Tracie Mauriello's updates on Twitter throughout the trial.

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