Eachus Hired Admitted Felon Robert Powell's Attorney Firm

In Jewish they would call this chutzpah. For the past month House Majority Leader Todd Eachus and the Pennsylvania Democratic Campaign Committee have been malicously attacking Tarah Toohil for representing a barber in Luzerne County Court. In addition they tried to tie her to one of the attorneys representing a judge in the Luzerne County corruption scandal just because his office is in the same building as Attorney Toohil's private solo practice.

In this article which appears on Law.com dated February 25, 2009 Attorney Richard Sprague from Philadelphia is mentioned as representing now admitted felon Robert Powell in that very case cited by Eachus and his politcal party campaign caucus.

Stacey Witalec, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, said the department's records show attorney Robert J. Powell, of The Powell Group in Drums, Pa., and Western Pennsylvania investment banker Gregory R. Zappala were owners of PA Child Care. Powell sold his interest in the company to Zappala last year, Witalec said.

The Citizens' Voice, a Wilkes-Barre, Pa., newspaper, has previously identified the builder as Robert S. Mericle, owner and president of Mericle Construction Inc.

A day before the judges appeared in federal court, attorneys for Powell acknowledged he was the former co-owner of the detention centers identified as Participant No. 1.

In a letter signed by Mark B. Sheppard of Sprague & Sprague in Philadelphia, Powell's lawyers said he had been unfairly portrayed in news reports on the corruption probe.

"First, it is grossly inaccurate to suggest that our client ever sought or had any influence in the sentencing of any juvenile offender. In fact, Bob Powell never offered to pay a single penny to these former judges. Instead, Bob Powell was a victim of their demands for payment," the letter says.

The letter goes on to say that, although Powell recognizes he made a mistake by not going to authorities, he remained silent about the judges' demands because they exerted pressure on Powell and his clients.

"The record will show that despite this, Powell not only refused the Judges' continued demands for additional payments, but ultimately reported the conduct to authorities," the letter says.

The letter, also signed by Richard A. Sprague and Geoffrey R. Johnson, says Powell is continuing to cooperate with authorities and is integral to the U.S. Attorney's prosecution of Ciavarella and Conahan.

On November 03, 2008 the House Democratic Caucus led by Todd Eachus hired Sprague and Sprague in a contract numbered HDC01111008 potentially worth $100,000.00. This contract provides for Sprague and Sprague to furnish legal services to the House Democratic Caucus. Total compensation for this contract shall not exceed $100,000.

The contract has no end date so presumably the HDC is still a client of Sprague and Sprague. Click on this link to the actual contract.

The audacity of the Eachus camp to employ such a stupid tactic with this information readily available to the public is mind boggling. Eachus actually hires Powell's attorney and he wants to tie Toohil to something just because she shares the same office building address as another attorney. Eachus flies for free on Powell's jet but he has the effrontery to open up this subject. Chutzpah,nahhh...arrogance, unashamed boldness, stupidity..closer...