| abstract | - Former state Rep. Frank LaGrotta, D-Lawrence, entered a guilty plea to charges of hiring his sister and niece for no-work jobs. LaGrotta's sentence includes:
* A $10,000 fine
* An order to repay taxpayers more than $27,000 (the amount received by his sister and niece)
* Six months of house arrest with an ankle bracelet followed by 30 months of probation
* A requirement to perform 500 hours of community service The sister and niece each pleaded no contest to lying to the grand jury about the scheme and were ordered to pay a $3,000 fine. The sister also will serve 18 months probation, and the niece will serve 12 months probation. Prosecutors spared LaGrotta up to seven years of prison time and allowed him to keep his pension in exchange for cooperation in ongoing grand jury investigations into public corruption. Senior Deputy Attorney General Anthony J. Krastek said that LaGrotta's cooperation was key to the light sentence. "This would have been a much differe nt proceeding if there was not cooperation. Charges would have been different, today would have been different," he said. He did not describe the investigations with which LaGrotta is cooperating. LaGrotta's crime came to light when one of his former staff members alerted the state Attorney General's office about the arrangement. Following the tip, investigators discovered a damning email exchange between LaGrotta and his niece, along with other evidence to make the case.
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