Both sides in Orie case stage pretrial maneuvers
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State Sen. Jane C. Orie, R-McCandless, said in an answer to the court on Tuesday that she sent a letter seeking character testimony to nearly 200 homes earlier this month, and that the letter is the same one she sent prior to her first trial on criminal charges last year.
Ms. Orie is scheduled for retrial in the case, along with her sister, Janine Orie, on Feb. 27.
They are accused of using her legislative staff and resources to run election campaigns for another sister, Joan Orie Melvin, now a state Supreme Court justice. Janine Orie, an administrative assistant in her sister's judicial office, was charged separately in December with using the judge's staff to campaign.
The first trial of Jane and Janine Orie ended with a mistrial after the prosecution accused the senator of submitting fraudulent documents. In the summer, the DA's office filed additional charges against Jane Orie of perjury and forgery. Justice Melvin has not been charged, but she received a letter identifying her as the target of a grand jury investigation in December.
Last month, the district attorney's office filed a motion claiming a Jan. 15 letter by the senator was an attempt to taint the jury pool for the upcoming trial. The commonwealth asked how many households received the letter.
Jane Orie's attorney, William Costopoulos, characterized it as "nothing more than an effort to defend herself against the commonwealth's charges with positive character reputation evidence." The letter was sent to 148 households in Allegheny County, 29 in Butler and 21 households outside her senatorial district.
Mr. Costopoulos has asked the court to sequester the jury.
First Published February 1, 2012 12:00 am
