Closing arguments scheduled in corruption case of county commissioner

Associated Press

SCRANTON, Pa.

Closing arguments are scheduled Monday in the corruption trial of a northeastern Pennsylvania county commissioner and his former colleague.

Lackawanna County commissioner A.J. Munchak and former commissioner Robert C. Cordaro are charged in federal court with extortion, racketeering and conspiracy.

Prosecutors allege that they took bribes and extorted companies seeking county contracts. Both defendants took the stand in their own defense and denied the charges.

Cordaro said he helped save the county from financial ruin when he and Munchak took over as majority commissioners in 2004.

Munchak denied having “pocketed any money” but acknowledged under cross-examination that he failed to report cash contributions on campaign finance reports, as required by law.

The two were charged last year as part of a larger probe targeting corruption in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties.