Ex-Erie Mayor Acquitted in Corruption Case

Former Erie Mayor Rick Filippi and two of his business associates were acquitted Saturday on charges that they used inside information to benefit from real estate deals. The verdict so overwhelmed defense attorney Leonard Ambrose that he fainted as the Washington County jury was announcing its decision on the first count against Filippi.

"It was an emotionally draining experience," he said later. "I have never been as emotionally close to a client and friend as in this case." The jury also found Filippi's law partner Rolf Patberg and former campaign manager Eric Purchase not guilty, Ambrose said. "It's really a sad day because there was no basis for this prosecution ever," he said.

Filippi, Patberg and Purchase were accused of conspiring to use Filippi's position as mayor to invest in real estate near the proposed site of a horse racing and casino complex. The properties were bought by Aiko Acquisitions, a company run by Purchase and Patberg. Filippi had invested $8,000 in Aiko, a fact he did not reveal publicly. The Erie Times-News uncovered Filippi's link to Aiko, which then sold the parcels at no profit.

The racetrack plans eventually fell through. Filippi, elected mayor in 2001, finished fourth in a five-way Democratic primary last year, just months after he was indicted. The trial was moved to Washington County, about 135 miles south of Erie, because of pretrial publicity. Deputy State Attorney General Margaret Cassidy said the state did not rush to judgment, believing it could meet the burden of proof. "Twelve citizens rendered their decision and we respect that," she said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060326/ap_on_re_us/erie_land_deal

:yoiks:

Anyway, I'm from Erie so I was quite interested to see the outcome. It's kind of funny that his lawyer fainted! I saw him on the news and couldn't figure out what the gash on his lip was, but then they mentioned the fainting thing.