HARRISBURG — Prosecutors wrapped up their case Friday after five weeks of testimony in the trial of former House Democratic Whip Mike Veon, who is accused of using public resources for campaigns.
Defense testimony will start Monday morning, said Dauphin County Judge Richard Lewis. The jury of eight women and four men initially was told the trial would last three to four weeks.
Veon, 53, and three co-defendants are charged with multiple felonies of theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest. Dan Raynak, Veon’s attorney, said there was “no credible evidence” linking Veon to a conspiracy to use state tax dollars for political campaigns.
replica breitling watches “If it’s garbage in, it should be garbage out now,” Raynak told Lewis.
“We believe we’ve proven the case and wish it would have been shorter. We wish it had been less contentious, and we wish it had been more civil,” said Chief Deputy Attorney General Frank Fina, who charged yesterday that Veon’s defense team deliberately dragged out the case.
The state Attorney General’s Office ended its presentation after calling 29 witnesses. Most commonwealth witnesses were cross- examined by four defense lawyers because of the multiple defendants in the case.
“We covered two witnesses in two weeks. If we had covered two witnesses in one week, we may have called more witnesses,” Fina said.
“What they didn’t like replica hublot watches was us cross-examining their witnesses and showing their true colors,” Raynak said.
Veon is accused of overseeing a $1.4 million secret bonus program to reward staffers who worked on campaigns. Also charged are Annamarie Peretta-Rosepink, 47, Veon’s former district office manager in Beaver Falls; Brett Cott, 37, an ex-policy aide in Harrisburg; and Stephen Keefer, 39, the former director of House Democrats’ information technology department.
Cott’s lawyer, Bryan Walk, predicted his client would be acquitted.
Lewis yesterday ruled against motions by defense lawyers to dismiss the charges. He didn’t rule on a motion to toss out subpoenas for current House Democratic lawmakers. Raynak said he believes all of those subpoenaed will testify.
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