Pa. state senator owes taxpayers more than $1M

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Prosecutors want convicted state Sen. Jane Orie to repay more than $1 million in legal fees paid by Pennsylvania taxpayers as part of her unsuccessful defense against corruption charges.

A motion filed Wednesday by Allegheny County prosecutors says the state Senate spent $1.3 million on representation during the investigation into her misuse of her publicly funded staff for campaign purposes.

Another $74,000 was used to pay a former Commonwealth Court judge who was an expert witness at Orie’s pretrial hearing.

Orie was convicted on 14 of 24 counts in March and is scheduled to be sentenced May 21. Prosecutors want a hearing before then to determine exactly how much Orie owes taxpayers.