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Letters to landlords part of outreach by Wilkes-Barre to identify rentals

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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; An attorney at the center of a former county judge&#8217;s corruption case has completed a retroactively applied five-year suspension from practicing law and may petition for reinstatement, according to an order from the state Supreme Court&#8217;s Office of Disciplinary Counsel.</p><p>Harry Vincent Cardoni, of Harveys Lake, was temporarily suspended in 2010 for violating the rules of professional conduct after he gave use of a beach house to former judge Michael T. Toole, the order states. In exchange, Toole appointed a Cardoni-favored arbitrator to hear an uninsured-motorist case.</p><p>With the retroactive suspension completed, Cardoni will petition the board for reinstatement, said his attorney, Marc S. Raspanti. He noted Cardoni is &#8220;anxious&#8221; to return to practicing law.</p><p>&#8220;That process is under way,&#8221; Raspanti said.</p><p>Cardoni, who was never charged with a crime, was remorseful for his violation and cooperated fully with the investigation into Toole, including testifying against him at his sentencing hearing, states a petition filed by Raspanti in May. The document notes prosecutors agreed with the extent of Cardoni&#8217;s cooperation.</p><p>Toole was among more than 30 area residents, including two other county judges and a county commissioner, charged as part of a federal corruption probe that began in 2009. Toole served as a judge for six years but resigned shortly before charges were filed, with the state Supreme Court relieving him of all duties Dec. 3, 2009.</p><p>Toole was sentenced in April 2011 to 2&#189; years for his guilty plea to one count of corrupt receipt of a reward for official action and to tax-evasion charges. He admitted he accepted free use of the beach house and under-reported his income by $30,000 in 2006.</p><p>Toole spent 19 months at a federal prison in Minnesota before being released to a Pennsylvania halfway house in December 2012. He was placed under home confinement later that month, and finally released in April 2013 under supervised release.</p><p>Since Cardoni&#8217;s suspension, he has cared for elderly family members, managed properties he owns in the county and aided in the development of small businesses, according to the petition. He also continued to complete Continuing Legal Education requirements in that time.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Joe Dolinsky</p><p>jdolinsky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Joe Dolinsky at 570-991-6110 or on Twitter @JoeDolinskyTL</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Attorney suspended in ex-judge’s corruption case ‘anxious’ to practice again