Day: August 19, 2010

Judge Told To Unseal Orie Info

The state Supreme Court, yesterday, ordered the trial judge to unseal documents relating to the cases of state Sen. Jane Clare Orie (R-40)  and her sister, Janine Orie.


The Ories have been charged in Allegheny County  with theft of service and other crimes relating to the allegation that they improperly assigned state employees to work on the successful election campaign of their sister Joan Orie Melvin to the state Supreme Court last fall.

The 40th District includes part of Allegheny County.

The District Attorney is Stephen Zappala, a Democrat and a political enemy of the Ories. Among the documents the Supreme Court ordered Common Pleas Court Judge John A. Zottola to release was a motion filed by then Orie attorney Jerry McDevitt asking that the District Attorney’s Office be prohibited from investigating Orie because of conflicts of interest.


Zottola sealed the records claiming he was following the directions of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court said Zottola misinterpreted them.

The petition to unseal the records was filed April 16 — nine days after the charges were levied —  by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and WPXI-TV.

Zappala has an interesting connection to the Luzerne County cash-for-kids scandal. His brother Gregory was co-owner of the PA Child Care and Western PA Child Care incarceration facilities where the youths were sent in return for kickbacks to Luzerne County judges.

Gregory Zappala has not been connected to the kickbacks although his partner Robert Powell pleaded guilty in 2009 to failing to report a felony,

Gregory’s and Stephen’s father is former Supreme Court Judge Stephen Zappala Sr. The business address for Western PA Child Care was actually the home of Zappala Sr.