FBI papers on Penn Hills woman's 'firing' due in 2 days

FBI papers on Penn Hills woman's 'firing' due in 2 days


By Tony LaRussa
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, April 24, 2010

Buzz up!


The FBI has until Monday to give a federal judge documents that a former state Revenue Department official contends will support her claim that state Rep. Tony DeLuca engineered her firing.

The agency, though, contends that providing Erin Vecchio, 51, of Penn Hills with the documents would compromise an ongoing criminal investigation. U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Schwab will determine whether the information should be released or "withheld as privileged."

Schwab ordered the FBI on April 16 to turn over the documents for him to review. There is no timetable for a decision.

Court records don't identify the target of the federal investigation. A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office declined comment.

Vecchio, a longtime Democratic activist, claims in a federal lawsuit that she was fired in August from her job as a tax account-collections manager because she testified about DeLuca to a statewide grand jury. She is seeking reinstatement to her $53,000 job.

Revenue Department officials have said Vecchio and 84 others lost their jobs because of budget cuts.

Vecchio, a former Penn Hills School District board member, is one of at least half a dozen Penn Hills residents who appeared before a state grand jury. They claim that DeLuca, a lawmaker since 1982, got government jobs for family members; used his office and staff to run political campaigns; and improperly interfered with local issues.

DeLuca, 72, has denied any wrongdoing. No charges have been filed.

DeLuca said he never has been interviewed by investigators for Attorney General Tom Corbett or by the FBI.

"When somebody makes accusations, they have to look into it," DeLuca said. "But that doesn't mean any of these accusations that (Vecchio) is making are true, because, in fact, they are false."

Vecchio and her lawyer declined comment.

Also named in Vecchio's lawsuit is former Revenue Secretary Steven Stetler, who resigned in December hours before he was charged with using state-paid staff to conduct "opposition research" on Republican candidates. Stetler has denied any wrongdoing.

Vecchio's lawyer, Colleen Ramage Johnson, filed a motion in federal court last month seeking "notes, documents, witness statements, recordings and other information that pertains to others' knowledge that Vecchio testified before the grand jury, DeLuca's use of his political power to influence the ... decision to terminate Vecchio, and Stetler's decision to terminate Vecchio."

Did these "papers" ever come out? Has anyone heard or read anything on this?

FBI gets more time to yield documents in Penn Hills woman's case


By Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Saturday, May 8, 2010

A federal judge gave the FBI more time Friday to comply with an order that the agency turn over documents a Penn Hills woman believes will support her claim that state Rep. Tony DeLuca engineered her firing from a state job.

Erin Vecchio, 51, claims in a federal lawsuit that DeLuca, D-Penn Hills, used his influence to get her fired in August from a $53,000-a-year job with the state Department of Revenue because she testified about him to a statewide grand jury. DeLuca has denied any wrongdoing, and no charges have been filed against him.

In court filings, the FBI argued against handing over the documents, saying that doing so would compromise an ongoing criminal investigation. Court records do not identify the target of the investigation.

U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Schwab gave the agency until Thursday to provide him with the documents.

Just what you asked about

Penn Hills woman's request for FBI documents denied

By Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Thursday, May 20, 2010


A federal judge has denied a Penn Hills woman's request that the FBI provide her with documents she believes supports her claim that state Rep. Tony DeLuca got her fired from a government job.

Erin Vecchio, who worked as a tax accounts-collect manager for the state Department of Revenue, claims in a federal lawsuit that DeLuca, D-Penn Hills, was upset that Vecchio testified about him to a state grand jury. Vecchio is suing to get her $53,000-a-year job back.

The FBI argued that providing the documents Vecchio sought would compromise an ongoing criminal investigation. Court documents do not reveal the target of the FBI's probe.

DeLuca has denied any wrongdoing.