Luzerne County Government

May 7, 2010

Subpoena served on Luzerne County Clerk of Courts Office

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter   |   Jenn Learn-Andes on Facebook   |   @TLJenLearnAndes on Twitter

 The U.S. Secret Service served a subpoena on the Luzerne County Clerk of Courts Office this morning seeking documents involving the county records improvement fund, office solicitor Pete Moses verified.

 County Clerk of Courts Bob Reilly, 57, of Wilkes-Barre, is facing a federal bribery charge for allegedly steering work to contractor Barton Weidlich in exchange for $1,500 in kickbacks. Most of the payments to Weidlich were made from the records improvement fund, and Reilly serves as chairman of the committee that oversees the fund.

  Most of the $50,000 in payments to Weidlich's JPW Construction stayed hidden until recently because Reilly paid the company through an outside records consultant using funds controlled by the records improvement committee. Reilly has maintained he didn't publicly vote on the expenditures because other records committee members failed to attend meetings - a claim that at least two other members deny.

   Moses said he will review the subpoena and respond. The clerk of courts office is being run by deputy Tom Pizano in Reilly's absence. 

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