Acquitted Bonusgate figure lands gig with Wolf administration

    A former state lawmaker acquitted of charges stemming from the legislative corruption case known as Bonusgate is back on the commonwealth’s payroll.

    Sean Ramaley was the first person to go to trial after being charged in the legislative graft case pursued by former Gov. Tom Corbett when he was the state’s attorney general. He is now with Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration, as was pointed out during a budget hearing Tuesday.

    “Sean Ramaley, deputy secretary for safety and labor management relations,” said Kathy Manderino, acting secretary of the Department of Labor and Industry.

    Corbett charged Ramaley with being a ghost employee of another legislator’s office. A jury found him not guilty.

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    Years later, when Corbett was governor, he came under fire for keeping an ostensible ghost employee, himself, in special adviser Ron Tomalis. Ramaley wrote to Democratic Attorney General Kathleen Kane asking her office to investigate. Tomalis stepped down shortly thereafter.

    “I’m glad to see you and Sean and the rest of the folks back where they belong, in this great hall,” said Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Centre. “Thank you for being here.”

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