Unable to erase the taint of the corruption scandal and a photo of himself posing with a drug dealer, Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. was resoundingly defeated in his bid for re-election to a second, 10-year term, receiving 33,800 “no” votes compared to 27,139 “yes” votes, according to unofficial results in Tuesday’s general election.
Read more from the Times Leader.
Read more from the Times Leader.
what a shame, having attended the trial for 2 days was impressed with the guy.
ReplyDelete"ken said...
ReplyDeletewhat a shame, having attended the trial for 2 days was impressed with the guy."
I would have to agree.
After reading hundred's of motions, spending time in court, and reading the trial transcripts... this judge was a class-act.
I would have voted for his retention, and I know of several jurors that did.
hi, PC,
ReplyDeleteinteresting about PPO, especially having a dad who was a judge and is still a VIP (I think) in the PA courts system, would think he would have known better than to have a picture taken with a drug dealer - btw, do you have that pic? and who is the drug dealer?
also was wondering whatever happened to the Kocis estate? is it out of probate? and what happened to cobra video? did someone buy it or the name or is the Kocis family still running it? (sorry if that last thing was "off-topic")
when will this ever be over anyway?
thanks for keeping us up-to-date!
That's a lot of questions JP83... please give me a day or two. :)
ReplyDeletejp83, why the assumption that ppo knew he was having a picture taken with a drug dealer?
ReplyDeleteppo isn't an idiot, and the newspaper article clearly stated ppo claimed he didn't know.
its a shame the public didn't bother to compare his record to the other judges who brought the PA courts into disrepute.
but that's life in politics, the public doesn't do much more than read the headlines.
well, ken, I don't get a Wilkes-Barre newspaper and didn't read the article online in whatever paper your are referring to, and PC's blog said PPO was "posing" for the picture, so that sounds like he knew a picture of him & this guy was being taken
ReplyDeletenp, PC! :) take your time...Harlow isn't going anywhere...I don't think ;) lol
ReplyDelete& thanks for keeping us die-hard trial-watchers up to date! :)
update...just read the Times-Leader article, and it confirms what PC said about PPO "posing" with a drug dealer in Florida - in the same picture as a now-indicted Luzerne County judge..here's the quote:
ReplyDeleteWILKES-BARRE – Luzerne County Judge Peter Paul Olszewski’s bid for retention was essentially doomed the day a photo of him posing with a convicted drug dealer and disgraced former colleague was made public, a local political analyst said.
...The photo, sent anonymously to media outlets in September, was taken in June 2005 when Olszewski was vacationing at a Florida condominium owned by former judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella, who are facing corruption charges. It showed him standing with Conahan and Ronald Belletiere, who was convicted of running the Empire Drug ring in Hazleton in the mid 1980’s.
My point didn't contradict PC's quote from the article.
ReplyDeleteThe point I was making and continue to make was the judge did NOT know who he was posing with, was NOT aware of his criminal background.
I'd copy and paste the entire article but I'd have to pay to do that now its past the 7 days archive limit at the Times.
PPO Sr was a judge in Luzerne County 1968-83 then elected to Superior Court - this drug dealer was convicted of RUNNING a drug "empire" in Hazleton, LUZERNE COUNTY, where PPO Sr was a JUDGE for 16 years.
ReplyDeletePPO JR was ELECTED D.A. of LUZERNE COUNTY in 1991, the SAME YEAR the drug dealer was CONVICTED of RUNNING A DRUG EMPIRE in LUZERNE COUNTY (http://www.yestoretainjudgepeterpaul.com/Biography.html)
and, if you're interested, here's where you can see a picture of PPO Jr posing with the guy who was CONVICTED of being a DRUG DEALER in the SAME YEAR AND IN THE SAME COUNTY WHERE PPO JR WAS ELECTED AS D.A.
SO HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY BELIEVE PPO JR HAD NO IDEA WHO THIS GUY WAS OR WHAT HIS CRIMINAL RECORD WAS UNTIL AFTER THE PICTURE SURFACED????
http://www.scottsanfilippo.com/2009/11/the-picture-that-killed-a-career-or-dont-hang-with-criminals/