Lawmaker and sister arraigned on charges


January 29, 2014 at 1:12p.m.

Lawmaker and sister arraigned on charges

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Pennsylvania state lawmaker and his sister have been released on their own recognizance after arraignment in what authorities call a ghost worker plot involving his district office.

Thirty-four-year-old Democratic Rep. Jose Miranda and 28-year-old Michelle Wilson are charged with perjury, criminal conspiracy and conflict of interest. A preliminary hearing is scheduled Feb. 4.

Prosecutors allege that he funneled a public salary to his sister through a ghost worker because state ethics rules barred her from being on the payroll.

A grand jury said Wilson received part of the $36,000 annual salary paid to Timothy Duckett. He held the title of legislative assistant but apparently never showed up at district offices, working instead at an auto repair shop.

Miranda and Wilson denied any impropriety to the grand jury.