City Councilwoman Charged With Theft, Ethics CrimesPOSTED: 10:17 am EDT April 11,
2007 PITTSBURGH -- City Councilwoman Twanda Carlisle is facing theft and conspiracy charges, along with accusations of ethics and election code violations, stemming from an Allegheny County grand jury investigation.Carlisle, who represents eastern city neighborhoods in District 9, was arraigned at District Judge Charles McLaughlin's office in Brookline on Wednesday morning. She is accused of criminal conspiracy, violations of the state Ethics Act, failing to file required financial disclosures, and five counts of perjury under the state Election Code.WTAE Channel 4's Bob Mayo reported that Carlisle is charged with pocketing tens of thousands of dollars in kickbacks from three so-called consultants she paid with taxpayer money. Carlisle left her arrest and arraignment smiling with her head held high. She did not comment on the charges, other than to say she did not steal any city money."Twanda is a black woman, and it most certainly has a lot to do with it," said Carlisle's mother, Constance Parker. "I think it's a Democratic mission."Carlisle allegedly channelled tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to three co-conspirators, who then allegedly kicked back cash that the councilwoman deposited into her personal or campaign checking accounts, Mayo reported."It's not clear to me who's responsible ultimately for the writing of the checks, as I say, the deposit of the money," defense attorney Pat Thomassey said. "Naturally, it's the duty of the candidate, but lots of times he or she is not the person who does it."One of the alleged co-conspirators -- Parker's boyfriend, Lee Otto Johnson -- is also being charged. He never wrote and delivered a report for which he was paid thousands of dollars, until the media asked questions, Mayo reported.Also charged in connection with the Carlisle investigation are former consultant Darlene Durham, who is accused of theft by deception and conspiracy, and Sheryl Pinson-Smith, one of the councilwoman's current employees.As Carlisle faces the charges against her, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is saying that the city's Ethics Hearing Board will meet -- which, despite previous pledges, hasn't happened since the board was reformed in July 2006."It raises our awareness in my administration. I've directed my administration to have the ethics board meet as soon as next week to ensure that they deal with this issue and other issues that are important, very serious matters, and we want to ensure that these types of activities do not occur in City Hall," Ravenstahl said. Carlisle's colleagues on the City Council are leaving it up to the justice system to judge her."Prosecuted doesn't mean guilty. Prosecuted simply means that she's facing a charge. She still has the obligations to carry out the duties of her office," Council President Doug Shields said."At this point, it's up to a judge and up to a jury to look at this and take each of the charges on the merits. I'm certain that she has her explanation, and she'll be given her time to do that," Councilman Bill Peduto said. Related Links: More Allegheny County NewsRSS Headlines | Breaking News Alerts Previous Stories:
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