Grand jury indicts Sen. Raphael Musto for allegedly accepting kickbacks

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By Steve Mocarsky

An attorney representing state Sen. Raphael Musto said in a news release that Musto, who earlier today was charged with bribery and fraud, has done nothing wrong.

Attorney Jack Riley, issued an emailed statement on Musto's behalf less than an hour after U.S. Attorney Peter Smith announced at a press conference in Scranton that Musto was charged with six counts of honest services fraud, the corrupt receipt of a reward for official actions and making false statements to FBI agents.

“It is regrettable that the government prosecutors have made the decision to charge Senator Musto today," Riley said. "As we all know, the prosecutors are far from infallible and have proven it again by their actions today. Senator Musto has served faithfully and honestly for over 40 years as an elected public official and he has never wavered from his dedication to the people he has served while in office."

It appears that Musto intends to fight the charges in court.

“Now that the one-sided prosecution phase of the process is complete, we eagerly await the opportunity to have an impartial jury review all the facts related to the transactions referenced in the charges filed today," Riley said.

"We are confident, after the jury sees all the facts and understands the Senator's impeccable record of public service, that the jury will conclude the Senator has done nothing wrong,” he said.

Check back at www.timesleader.com for updates and read the complete story in The Times Leader on Wednesday.

Musto denies any wrongdoing