Crime & Safety
Trial Over, Orie and Zappala Still Battling
Prosecutors claim the court did not make any mistakes in convicting Orie.
The Allegheny County District Attorney's office has filed a rebuttal to former state Sen. Jane Orie's appeal.
Orie, who represented the North Hills in Harrisburg, is asking the court to overturn her conviction on corruption charges.
According to the Post-Gazette, Orie contends that her second trial following a mistrial after the discovery of tainted evidence was a violation of double jeopardy, and that the district attorney's office should have recused itself from the case because of a longtime dispute between District Attorney Stephen Zappala, Jr. and the Orie family.
The District Attorney's office states that Orie's double jeopardy claim is frivolous and that she provided no proof that Zappala was out to get her.
Orie is currently serving a 2-1/2 to 10 year prison term for using her state-funded staff for political work. The earliest she can be released on probation is February 2014.
Join Patch for more community news or join us on Facebook and Twitter.
Check out some of today's other top stories here.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
