A former state representative from Erie and a member of her legislative staff were charged today with forging nominating petitions and filing the fraudulent forms with the state.

A news release from the state attorney general's office said the defendants were former representative Linda Bebko-Jones, 61, and her then chief of staff, Mary Fiolek, 60. Both women are from Erie.

Ms. Bebko-Jones, a Democrat, served in the House from 1993 to 2007.

The news release said evidence was presented to a grand jury that the women, in March 2006, forged dozens of signatures on nominating petitions by using an Erie County phone book and Ms. Bebko-Jones' personal address book.

In one instance, an individual who allegedly signed one of the petitions on March 3, 2006, had been dead since April 15, 2000.

First Published: February 28, 2008, 7:15 p.m.