Philadelphia lawmaker in corruption sting resigns

A veteran of the Pennsylvania Legislature pleaded no contest in a corruption case and is resigning in a case once abandoned by Attorney General Kathleen Kane because she said it improperly targeted black officials.

 

Rep. Louise Bishop, D-Philadelphia, pleaded no contest Wednesday to failing to report on ethics filings $1,500 in cash she took from an informant posing as a lobbyist.

The 82-year-old Bishop is resigning from the House and will be on probation for six months.

Bishop’s lawyer said he was given prosecution files that led him to conclude a racial targeting defense wasn’t viable.

After the hearing, prosecutor Mark Gilson linked Kane to a scandal over lewd and objectionable emails involving people at Kane’s office.

Gilson said Kane received 11 such emails and her sister, an employee of the office, received more than 50. Kane’s spokesman said neither received any such emails.