Grand jury probes campaign gifts lawyer gave from foundation
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Former Allegheny County Chief Executive Jim Roddey testified Thursday before a county grand jury investigating attorney Charles P. McCullough's distribution of an elderly woman's fortune.
Mr. Roddey served on the board of the Fred J. and Shirley H. Jordan Charitable Foundation, which Mr. McCullough helped organize. The foundation distributed $10,000 campaign donations to four local Republican candidates.
"All I can say is that I testified before the grand jury," Mr. Roddey said. "I can't say what it was about or anything that was said."
In an interview with the Post-Gazette in April 2007, Mrs. Jordan, of Upper St. Clair, said she had never heard of the candidates and did not approve the donations.
The recipients, Cheryl Allen, who was seeking the GOP nomination for Superior Court, and County Council candidates Vince Gastgeb, Jan Rea and Susan Caldwell, all later returned the donations.
Mr. McCullough, who was elected to County Council last year, was given power of attorney over Mrs. Jordan's multimillion-dollar fortune after she was diagnosed with dementia in 2005. As trustee of her account, Mr. McCullough, of Upper St. Clair, then distributed the money to the candidates. He maintains that Mrs. Jordan approved all the donations.
After Mrs. Jordan disputed the donations in 2007, Mr. McCullough returned $52,000 in trustees fees. He removed himself from consideration but still was elected to the County Council seat. He is also Upper St. Clair township solicitor.
First Published October 25, 2008 12:00 am
