Scranton Mayor Bill Courtright resigns after pleading guilty to bribery, conspiracy and extortion
On July 2, the Mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania, 61-year-old William L. Courtright, pleaded guilty in a Williamsport courtroom to three felony public corruption offenses. According to U.S. Attorney David J. Freed, Courtright was engaged in a multi-year conspiracy with unidentified individuals to take bribes from vendors who did business with the City of Scranton. It’s also alleged that other objectives of the conspiracy “were to commit the offenses of attempted extortion under color of official right and extortion through use of fear of economic harm.”
Courtright’s corrupt activities came to light during a multi-year undercover investigation headed by the FBI. The undercover investigation revealed that the former mayor accepted cash payments from vendors doing business with the city in a pay-to-play scheme.
“In this County, in this Commonwealth, in this Country – our elected officials work for us,” said U.S. Attorney Freed. “Not the other way around. Using public office for personal financial gain is a crime, plain and simple. All citizens, not just those of us in law enforcement, should demand that our public officials scrupulously follow the law.”
“And when they do not, no matter how difficult the investigations may be, or how long they may take, the United States Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners will hold them to account. I want to commend the painstaking work of our partners at the FBI who have never wavered in their commitment to the citizens of this district. We are also grateful for the valuable assistance of IRS-Criminal Investigations and the Pennsylvania State Police. We will not rest in the fight against corruption.”
“Bill Courtright used the city of Scranton,” said Michael T. Harpster, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “He traded on his office in exchange for money and other valuable favors. He wielded his official powers for his own benefit, when he should’ve been focused on that of his community. The FBI will never stop seeking to bring to justice corrupt public officials who so badly betray the public trust. To that end, we and our partners at the Pennsylvania State Police and the IRS have launched a task force specifically to take on public corruption in the northeast Pennsylvania region. We’re working on behalf of the people, who expect — and deserve — honest services from all their elected officials.”
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 35 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs.
After entering into a plea deal on his three federal charges of bribery, conspiracy, and attempt to obstruct commerce by extortion, Courtright resigned his position as Scranton’s mayor. He has also taken down his “Bill Courtright for Mayor” Facebook page.
(Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Pennsylvania)
~ Written by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter
Also see:
- Fecal parasite ‘Crypto’ in swimming pools on the rise, leading cause of disease outbreaks
- Dramatic bodycam video released of Baby India when she was first found abandoned in the woods
- U.S. suing ex-Trump aide Omarosa for ethics violation
