Pa. state senator faces forgery, perjury charges

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Republican state Sen. Jane Orie was accused Monday of fabricating evidence to be used at her trial earlier this year on charges that she used her state-funded staff to do political work.

A criminal complaint, filed in Pittsburgh City Court, charges Orie with perjury, forgery, and tampering and fabricating physical evidence related to defense documents.

Orie’s trial in March ended in a mistrial when Allegheny County Judge Jeffrey Manning agreed with prosecutors that two documents used to discredit the key witness — Orie’s former chief of staff — were forgeries.

Neither Orie nor her attorney returned messages left Monday by The Associated Press. She remains charged in the earlier case.

The latest criminal complaint said evidence discovered since the trial “further demonstrates that Orie orchestrated the forgeries in support of her defense.” Investigators obtained original documents that were scanned into the Pennsylvania State Senate Republican computer network by Orie staffers, which differed from those introduced as evidence at the trial, the complaint said.

In addition, Orie’s staff members also had concerns about the authenticity of many handwritten notations that Orie claims she gave them, the complaint said.

Staffer Joseph Smith told investigators that Orie usually communicated with staff via email, not handwritten notes, and Jamie Pavlot, the senator’s former chief of staff, told investigators she could not recall the senator ever using such lengthy handwritten notes to communicate with staff.

Orie, R-Allegheny, and her sister, Janine Orie, 56, remain charged with misusing the senator’s state-funded legislative staff to do political work for the senator and a third sister, state Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin. Melvin has not been charged.