Kimmett v. Corbett: The #1 Reason Corbett Won't Be Viable by November

Tom Corbett has a dirty little secret and so far few in the media have picked up on the story. Perhaps their agenda is to let him win the primary first and then drop the bombshell closer to November.

Penn Live did mention the story a few days ago.

"Despite continued claims by the attorney general’s office that accusations, court motions and lawsuits against Corbett are baseless or “bogus,” it remains to be seen whether he can demonstrate to voters that he didn’t abuse his prosecutorial power in the semblance of cleaning up public corruption.

Additionally, a federal lawsuit filed against Corbett in 2008 alleges that thousands, perhaps millions, of public dollars were “illegally paid out to vendors.”

On March 11, Corbett was deposed in his office for six hours for a lawsuit filed against him and others in the office of the attorney general and Department of Revenue. The whistleblower case alleges that Thomas D. Kimmett, a former attorney with the AG’s office, and his assistant, Sherry E. Bellaman, were terminated because of Kimmett’s call for an independent investigation into the collection practices within the Attorney General’s Financial Enforcement Section.

The case alleges 'pervasive wrongdoing' in the collection of accounts receivable amounting to upwards of $300 million to $500 million. It gives details of alleged fraudulent payouts to no-bid vendors and claims there was a 'cover-up by Mr. Corbett and the other defendants.'

The discovery process in the case is set to end April 12, with a pre-trial conference July 2.

Unless the case is dismissed, it will go to trial in August and could prove “very embarrassing” to Corbett, said Charles Kimmett, a D.C.-based lawyer representing his uncle Thomas Kimmett.

Beginning in April 2008, when Corbett was running for re-election, Kimmett — who had already expressed concern internally about the collections practice inside the financial enforcement section — went “outside the chain of command” at the attorney general’s office, Charles Kimmett said. “He had spoken to the U.S. attorney’s office because he was concerned that they were going to pin what was going on on him when the Department of Revenue had backed down from doing anything that would embarrass the AG’s office,” Charles Kimmett said.

In November, Corbett signed off on Kimmett’s termination, but two years later the case continues.

Berks County Patriots are claiming that Corbett's March deposition in the case was less than stellar. Apparently these Republican Committeemen believe that this dirt will stick. An August trial certainly will not bode well for a November election.