| rdfs:comment | - When Lauretta S. Simmons, the chief fundraiser for former Gov. Tom Ridge, was sentenced in 2000 for stealing $93,500 from the campaign, she told U.S. District Judge William W. Caldwell she was "very remorseful" and received a break in her sentence. She will be facing Caldwell again May 1, 2009, when she is expected to plead guilty to embezzling more than $1 million from a public relations and real estate firm where she worked as an administrative assistant since she was dismissed from the campaign.
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| abstract | - When Lauretta S. Simmons, the chief fundraiser for former Gov. Tom Ridge, was sentenced in 2000 for stealing $93,500 from the campaign, she told U.S. District Judge William W. Caldwell she was "very remorseful" and received a break in her sentence. She will be facing Caldwell again May 1, 2009, when she is expected to plead guilty to embezzling more than $1 million from a public relations and real estate firm where she worked as an administrative assistant since she was dismissed from the campaign. According to federal information, Simmons worked for Joseph V. Sweeney and Associates, which operates Public Affairs Consultants and Arcus Properties, since 1999, after she was dismissed from the Ridge campaign when her bank caught discrepancies in her account and froze it. From 2006 through January, 2009, Simmons wrote checks to herself from the company's accounts, according to the charges. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Brandler declined comment on the new charges. Simmons' attorney, Terrence McGowan, could not be reached for comment. Sweeney did not return a call seeking comment. The government is seeking the forfeit of thousands of dollars in real estate, luxury vehicles and other items. Simmons, 43, of Lemoyne, used the money to buy a $225,000 property in Aruba, $40,000 worth of wine and more than $37,000 worth of gold and silver coins, the records state. She has agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud in the new case. The maximum prison term is 20 years, but she is likely facing less time under federal sentencing guidelines. In exchange for her plea, the prosecution agreed to recommend a reduction in her sentence under the guidelines.
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