Frank LaGrotta

==Background==
* Former PA Lawmaker Pleads Guilty in 2008
==Insights==
Former state Rep. Frank LaGrotta, D-Lawrence, entered a guilty plea to charges of hiring his sister and niece for no-work jobs. 
LaGrotta's sentence includes:
* A $10,000 fine
* An order to repay taxpayers more than $27,000 (the amount received by his sister and niece)
* Six months of house arrest with an ankle bracelet followed by 30 months of probation
* A requirement to perform 500 hours of community service
The sister and niece each pleaded no contest to lying to the grand jury about the scheme and were ordered to pay a $3,000 fine. The sister also will serve 18 months probation, and the niece will serve 12 months probation.
Prosecutors spared LaGrotta up to seven years of prison time and allowed him to keep his pension in exchange for cooperation in ongoing grand jury investigations into public corruption. Senior Deputy Attorney General Anthony J. Krastek said that LaGrotta's cooperation was key to the light sentence. "This would have been a much differe nt proceeding if there was not cooperation. Charges would have been different, today would have been different," he said. He did not describe the investigations with which LaGrotta is cooperating.
LaGrotta's crime came to light when one of his former staff members alerted the state Attorney General's office about the arrangement. Following the tip, investigators discovered a damning email exchange between LaGrotta and his niece, along with other evidence to make the case. 
==Details==
http://tinyurl.com/nd2rd
A 10-term veteran of the Pennsylvania Legislature said he will not
contest the results of a Democratic primary that, unofficially, showed
him losing by fewer than 30 votes out of about 5,400 cast.
Rep. Frank LaGrotta, D-Lawrence, conceded the race to Jaret Gibbons,
who recently finished law school.
Gibbons' Republican opponent in November is Chuck Morse of Slippery Rock.
LaGrotta said at a news conference Friday that he decided to give up
after consulting with lawyers and Rep. Mike Veon, D-Beaver, the
Democratic House whip.
"I won a lot of races and never lost," he told the New Castle News.
"It's very humbling."
LaGrotta's loss means at least 17 incumbents were defeated in the May
16 primary, including the two highest ranking members of the state Senate.
Three races involving incumbents have not been called by The
Associated Press: Joseph Preston Jr. of Allegheny County, Joseph F.
Markosek of Allegheny County and Babette Josephs of Philadelphia. All
three are leading in unofficial results.
Lagrotta