Pocono News Section

Two School Board Members Admit to Corruption

Two School Board Members Admit to Corruption - Monday, October 26, 2009 at 6:15PM EST

Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Monday, Oct 26, 2009 @ 06:15pm EDT
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY -- Two Luzerne County school board members have admitted their roles in county corruption. One guilty plea we expected - Hanover Area School Board member Anthony Spinozza. Another we did not - Wilkes-Barre Area School Director Brian Dunn, who Monday agreed to plead guilty to his charge.

There were some indications Brian Dunn would fight this corruption charge. Monday he admitted to taking a bribe to help a teacher get a job.

46-year-old Brian Dunn of Wilkes-Barre was arraigned on a felony corruption charge. The FBI says he took $5,000 from a relative of a teacher who got a job in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District back in 2005.

Dunn is now facing 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He must also resign from the school board within the next 10 days. He's the third Wilkes-Barre School Director nabbed in this ongoing federal probe.

Now the Spinozza case... He came to court Monday and admitted to taking a bribe to help a contractor get work in the Hanover Area School District.

Spinozza, 59, said nothing as he left federal court in Scranton on Monday.

In court he told the judge, ÒI plead guilty your honor.Ó Guilty to taking at least $5,000 from a yet unnamed contractor to get work with the school district. At times he broke down in court.

We learned in court the bribe was given in 2008 and the contractor wore a "wire," a recording device. The FBI says that Spinozza made incriminating statements about the bribe, admitting he did something illegal.

Spinozza faces 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He will likely serve much less since he is cooperating with the FBI. In court he also said he sent a letter of resignation to the school district.