Orie attorney: Latest charges 'vindictive'
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The attorney for state Sen. Jane Orie on Tuesday called the new charges filed against her a "vindictive maneuver" designed to influence his client's pending appeal before the state Superior Court.
Ms. Orie went on trial in February on charges that she misused her public office, staff and resources to perform campaign work. The case ended with a mistrial when the prosecution presented evidence that documents submitted by the defense had been doctored.
The Allegheny County district attorney's office plans to retry the case, but Ms. Orie's attorney, William Costopoulos, filed an appeal, claiming that his client cannot be retried based on double jeopardy.
Mr. Costopoulos said in an emailed statement that all of the relevant factual allegations were before Ms. Orie's jury during her first trial. He called the timing of the new charges "suspicious."
In the affidavit of probable cause filed Monday, the Allegheny County District Attorney's office accuses Ms. Orie, R-McCandless, of forgery, perjury, obstruction and tampering with evidence. The office wants to use the new evidence in the previous case and is considering whether to try all of the charges at once.
The district attorney's office said that the affidavit lays out new "fraud-related crimes" that are different from the original case.
"However, the roles of the persons who had possession of these documents, which were altered before being admitted into evidence, is still being developed," said spokesman Mike Manko in an emailed statement. "Since this is considered an ongoing investigation, it would not be appropriate to comment any further."
In the meantime, the district attorney's office on Tuesday filed notice with the defense and Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey A. Manning that it intends to use the evidence contained in the new charges against Ms. Orie in the retrial of both her and her sister, Janine Orie.
First Published August 31, 2011 12:00 am
