Frank LaGrotta

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Frank LaGrotta
Ralph Pratt
Succeeded byJaret Gibbons
Personal details
Born (1958-11-25) November 25, 1958 (age 65)
Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Notre Dame (BA, MA)
University of Pittsburgh
ProfessionJournalist

Frank LaGrotta (November 25, 1958) is a former Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 10th District from 1987 to 2006.

Personal life

LaGrotta was born in Ellwood City.[3] He is an alumnus of Riverside High School.[4] He graduated from the University of Notre Dame, having received a Bachelor of Arts in 1980 and a Master of Arts in 1981.[3] He is the grandson of immigrants.[5]

After graduation, LaGrotta worked as a sports

Ralph Pratt, who was then the representative for the 10th district.[5] He also served as Legislative Director of the Beaver County Legislative Delegation from 1983 to 1986.[3]

Political career

Upon Pratt's election as a judge, LaGrotta ran for his boss's seat. In 1986 he defeated

pro-life stance and his strong ties to organized labor.[5]

He won re-election nine times, largely with token Republican opposition. He faced one serious challenge in the GOP landslide year of 1994 winning with only 53% of the vote. After the 1994 scare, LaGrotta ran unopposed in four of his last five races.[6]

In 1992, LaGrotta ran for the

U.S. House of Representatives in Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district against incumbent Democrat Joseph P. Kolter who was implicated in the Congressional Post Office scandal. He finished fourth in a four-way primary that also included Ron Klink, the victor, and fellow state Representative Mike Veon.[7]

During his tenure, LaGrotta established himself as a strong advocate for his district, securing funds for 11 bridges in Ellwood City, leading opposition to a hazardous waste facility in his district, and lobbying for public works projects.[5]

2006 primary election

LaGrotta ran for re-election for an eleventh term, but was defeated in the

2006 election by political newcomer Jaret Gibbons. The margin of defeat was 28 votes.[8][9]

The election focused on LaGrotta's support for the controversial 2005 legislative pay raise.[10]

Following the election, LaGrotta was appointed to fill a vacant seat on the Lawrence County Housing Authority in December 2006. He resigned this position in October 2007.[4]

Conflict of interest legal proceedings

Main article: 2006 Pennsylvania General Assembly bonus controversy

On November 14, 2007, LaGrotta was arraigned in

Attorney General Tom Corbett, LaGrotta allegedly used his position to have his sister and niece paid over $26,000 from state funds.[11][12] On December 20, he pleaded not guilty to the charges.[13] On February 3, 2008, LaGrotta pleaded guilty to two felony[14] counts of conflict of interest for having ghost workers on his payroll. He was sentenced to six months of house arrest, along with probation and fines.[15][16][17][18] He will continue to receive his full pension of $48,000 per year, since conflict of interest convictions do not fall under the Pennsylvania State Employees' Retirement System's list of 23 crimes that require pension forfeiture.[19] After his guilty plea, he stopped repaying the unvouchered expenses from the 2005 legislative payraise and was refunded the amount that he had previously returned.[20]

Prescription altering guilty plea

On April 7, 2011, LaGrotta pleaded guilty to altering prescriptions he had submitted to three different pharmacies, in two Pennsylvania counties, to obtain more of the anti-anxiety medication Xanax.[21] His plea included admissions of guilt in fraudulently obtaining a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and forgery (for changing the date of prescriptions from March to May 2010, changing daily dosing instructions from two to three per day, and changing the number of pills prescribed from 120 to 180.)[21] His sentencing (which could include incarceration) was docketed for June 7, 2011.[21]

Post-legislative career

In spite of his legal troubles, LaGrotta received $30,000 per year in his legislative pension.

Catholicism and contemplating his legislative career.[22]

References

  1. ^ "SESSION OF 1987 - 171ST OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY - No. 1" (PDF). Legislative Journal. Pennsylvania House of Representatives. 1987-01-06.
  2. ^ Per Article II, Section 2 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, the legislative session ended on November 30, 2006.
  3. ^
    Project Vote Smart
  4. ^ a b Walter, Kori (2007-11-14). "All in the Family". Beaver County Times.
  5. ^ a b c d e Roddy, Dennis (2007-11-15). "LaGrotta rose fast as Casey Democrat". Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
  6. ^ "Frank LaGrotta Candidate Detail". OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
  7. ^ "1992 General Primary". Sourced from 1994 Almanac of American Politics. OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
  8. ^ "2006 General Primary". Pennsylvania Department of State. 2006-05-16.
  9. ^ "State House races: Pistella, LaGrotta, Stevenson out; Veon wins". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. 2006-05-17.
  10. ^ "Lessons unlearned". Bucks County Courier Times. 2007-11-18. Archived from the original on 2007-10-19.
  11. ^ Barnes, Tom. LaGrotta knew nothing about hefty bonuses, lawyer says, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2007-11-16. Accessed 2007-11-27.
  12. ^ "Ex-lawmaker faces charges as corruption probes roil Pa. House (phillyBurbs.com)". Pennsylvania News. Archived from the original on 2008-02-03. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
  13. ^ "Bonus storm distracts state Democrats". pennlive.com. 2007-12-23. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  14. Boston Globe
    , 2008-02-05. Accessed 2008-02-20.
  15. ^ Ex-legislator sentenced for no-show workers - Midstate PA Local News, Weather, Sports & Entertainment - PennLive.com
  16. ^ A former state rep. pleads guilty over no show jobs. | Philadelphia Inquirer | 02/04/2008
  17. ^ Mauriello, Tracie (2008-02-04). "Ex-Rep. LaGrotta pleads guilty in ghost employee case". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  18. ^ "LaGrotta pleads guilty". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.[permanent dead link]{{dead link|fix-attempted=yes
  19. ^ Mauriello, Tracie (2008-02-27). "Despite guilty plea, ex-Rep. LaGrotta to get full pension". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  20. ^ Mauriello, Tracie; Roddy, Dennis B. (2008-02-29). "After returning raise, LaGrotta took it back". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  21. ^ a b c Former Rep. LaGrotta admits altering prescriptions Archived 2011-04-11 at the Wayback Machine, AP report published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 8 April 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  22. ^ a b c d Micek, John (August 3, 2009). "A Chat With Frank LaGrotta". The Morning Call.
  23. Community Newspaper Holdings
    .

External links

Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Preceded by
Ralph D. Pratt
 Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 10th District
1987 – 2006 		Succeeded by
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