Former State Treasurer Pleads Guilty To Trying To Shake Down Contributors

By Andrew Staub | PA Independent

Rob McCord arrived outside the ninth-floor courtroom early Tuesday morning,  clutching a book as he waited to appear before a federal judge to officially plead guilty to charges stemming from his attempts to extort potential campaign donors for political cash.

The former state treasurer and one-time gubernatorial hopeful said he couldn’t answer questions, but was friendly nonetheless as he waited for the proceedings to start.

“Have a good one,” McCord said to a couple of reporters when he went inside.

His pleasant demeanor almost felt out of place, given that what transpired after amounted to an official rehashing of the transgressions that forced McCord to resign last month job and left him facing a maximum of 40 years in prison and a fine as high as $500,000. His sentencing date has yet to be determined.

McCord stood silently as U.S. Attorney Michael Consiglio read verbatim from an 18-page statement of facts that outlined the former treasurer’s quick fall from grace. McCord sometimes trained his gaze toward the ground as the prosecutor detailed the threats the ousted official made to a western Pennsylvania property management company and a Philadelphia-area law firm while running for the Democratic nomination for governor last year.

According to court records, while straggling in the polls and having loaned his campaign more than $2 million, McCord threatened to use his position of treasurer to inflict economic harm on the two businesses if they didn’t contribute sizable donations.

McCord counseled an attorney on ways to coerce the managing partner — who supported former Gov. Tom Corbett — to make a big contribution, court documents state.

“And that’s fine, but you also run a law firm, so if you are not going to hedge your bet, don’t think that I am so stupid that I am not going to read you the riot act down the road. You know what I mean?” McCord said, according to the court documents that outline other examples of ham-handed attempts to extort money.

The tactics caught up to McCord, who abruptly resigned last month after a guilty plea that required him to give up his office within 24 hours. He released a video apologizing and calling the actions wrong.

“I stand ready to pay the price for that mistake,” he said in the video statement. “I’ve always believed in accountability and talked about accountability. Now I have to live it.”

McCord didn’t say much Tuesday, often offering only simple answers of “yes sir” as District Judge John E. Jones III questioned him before accepting the plea deal. A forthcoming presentence report would involve a “fairly lengthy” investigation, the judge said, while scheduling a conference for June 29.

Sentencing would come sometime after, and Jones noted he would be the “final arbiter” in the case. The judge allowed McCord to go free without bail, and he did not say anything as he left the courtroom.

McCord’s attorney, Robert Welsh, also repeatedly declined to comment when reporters peppered him with questions about whether McCord was cooperating with investigators, whether he had used the strong-arm tactics before and why he did what he did.

“Please wait and see,” Welsh said, indicating a presentation to be made during the sentencing phase would give reporters plenty of fodder to fill their column inches.

Amid the non-answers and refusals, Welsh said his client had already issued a “heartfelt statement” that still stands. While McCord smiled a bit as he walked silently into an elevator following the proceedings, Welsh hinted that his client’s pleasant persona was masking more morose feelings.

“How do you think he feels?” Welsh said.