Powerful Pennsylvania lawmaker found guilty of corruption

HARRISBURG, Pa (Reuters) - State Representative H. William DeWeese, one of Pennsylvania's longest-serving and most influential lawmakers, was found guilty on Monday of theft and criminal conspiracy stemming from his use of state employees to campaign for him for free.

DeWeese, 61, faces the possibility of 38 years in prison when he is sentenced in April. His case stems from a larger scandal in 2006 called "Bonusgate" that has led to 20 convictions or guilty pleas of Republican and Democratic lawmakers and staff who paid and received taxpayer-funded bonuses for campaign work.

A jury in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania found DeWeese guilty of criminal conspiracy, conflict of interest and three counts of theft. It cleared him of one theft count after deliberating since Thursday.

The 18-term Democrat vowed to appeal and said he intends to run for reelection. He is allowed to continue in public service while his case is under appeal.

"I will certainly run for renomination and reelection," DeWeese said, adding that he also intended to be on the House floor on Tuesday for Governor Tom Corbett's budget address.

"I am still a member of the state legislature," he said.

DeWeese's attorney, Bill Costopoulos, said he estimates the appeals process would take about nine months.

"The process is not over," he said.

Doing any campaigning while on the public clock is against the law in Pennsylvania.

Deputy Senior Attorney General Ken Brown said he was pleased with the verdicts.

"The jury clearly listened to the commonwealth's evidence, and they found the defendant to be what the commonwealth said he was from the moment these charges were filed, that he's a common criminal," Brown said.

Asked about DeWeese's promise to appeal, the prosecutor said: "If he wants to spit in the face of the jury's verdict, I guess that's his prerogative."

DeWeese testified in his own defense that he did nothing wrong and had trusted the hundreds of people who worked in the Democratic Caucus because he was rarely around to supervise.

Prosecutors contended DeWeese, who has been House majority whip and speaker during his long career, had a sense of entitlement about forcing state employees to campaign for him.

DeWeese won handily in 2000, ran unopposed in 2002 and 2004 but faced a tight race in 2006 when, a former top aide testified, he relied heavily on unpaid campaign work by state employees.

Since the scandal broke, DeWeese has faced tighter races and won most recently in 2010 by slightly more than 800 votes, according to official state election returns.

(Editing By Ellen Wulfhorst and Greg McCune)