The Collection

With all of the antics in the DeNaples case, there's probably enough material for a blog devoted just to that. For my recent posts on the continuing saga, see It's Father Sica, not Sicko and The Holy Gun. The latest news in the live and times of Louis DeNaples is the hiring of former Scranton U.S. Attorney Thomas Marino as in-house counsel for the DeNaples empire.

When Marino resigned his position as US Attorney in October of last year, I wondered what was on the horizon. As I mentioned then, What are the Odds on this?: Marino raised some eyebrows when it was disclosed that he was a reference for DeNaples when he applied for his slots license. No word on his future plans -- other than to spend more time with his family, of course. See also, The Electric Connection. Now we know.

The Allentown Morning Call reports, Ex-U.S. attorney takes job with DeNaples:

Thomas Marino, the former U.S. attorney for Scranton/Harrisburg who was listed as a reference on Louis DeNaples' gaming application at a time when Marino's office was investigating DeNaples as part of a federal probe, has landed a new job - with DeNaples.

Marino, who resigned as U.S. Attorney in October, is now in-house counsel for several DeNaples businesses, including his Keystone Landfill.

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Marino, a former Lycoming County district attorney, was appointed U.S. Attorney in 2002. The Morning Call reported in August that Marino withdrew from a federal investigation into organized crime in part because DeNaples, who is a focus of the probe, listed Marino as a reference on his gaming application.

Because of conflict of interest rules limiting his role in litigation related to his former office, Marino -- who at one point was on Alberto Gonzales' infamous US Attorney purge list -- won't be involved in the Grand Jury proceedings. As reported in the Patriot News, DeNaples hires ex-U.S. attorney:

Federal rules preclude the former U.S. attorney from getting involved in such court cases for at least a year or two, Marino said.

"I can't get involved in the grand jury, anything that may get into or spin off from that," Marino said. As far as the grand jury investigation into his boss and friend and why he took the job, he said: "After 18 years as a prosecutor, I'm not going to work for a guy who is breaking the law."

Fran Chardo, Dauphin County's first assistant district attorney, had no comment on Marino's job or whether it will have any bearing on the grand jury inquiry.

Tim Potts of Democracy Rising PA, a watchdog group, said he was concerned about Marino's career change because of the way it looks for a former top prosecutor to join a company involved in the state's fledgling gambling industry.

"How are people supposed to have confidence in public officials when they see this?" Potts said.

Marino was a reference in DeNaples' bid to get the slot-machine license. They have known each other since the 1990s, when Marino was a district attorney in Lycoming County.

Marino himself obviously sees nothing amiss his career change. As the Scranton paper reports, Ex-fed on DeNaples payroll:

The former Lycoming County district attorney told the Patriot-News he was not bothered by the investigation into his new boss.

“After 18 years as a prosecutor, I’m not going to work for a guy who is breaking the law.”

When he announced his resignation after five years as a U.S. attorney in September, Mr. Marino confirmed press reports he had agreed to act as a reference on Mr. DeNaples’ behalf in 2006 when Mr. DeNaples was seeking state gaming regulators’ approval for a casino license. He also acknowledged the Justice Department had ordered him in January 2007 to withdraw from an investigation into Mr. DeNaples, which was then assigned to federal prosecutors outside the state.

Mr. Marino did not reveal the substance of the investigation, but said it was not related to the case against reputed mob figure William D’Elia, who is in federal custody awaiting trial on money laundering and other charges. Mr. D’Elia, of Hughestown, appeared before the Dauphin County grand jury in July.

A criminal investigation here and there is no big deal and shouldn't impact future job prospects. And Marino is in good company joining the DeNaples legal team. DeNaples apparently keeps a collection of former US Attorneys on hand. The Pocono Record notes, Former U.S. prosecutor going to work for Mt. Airy casino owner DeNaples:

Marino is the latest of several former federal prosecutors to work for DeNaples. Peter Vaira, a former U.S. attorney in Philadelphia, and J. Alan Johnson, a former U.S. attorney in Pittsburgh, helped assure the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board in 2006 that DeNaples had no relationships with organized crime figures.

Specifically, they rebutted a 2001 federal law enforcement affidavit filed in a separate case that drew links between DeNaples and William D’Elia, who reputedly headed a northeastern Pennsylvania crime family.

A former assistant U.S. attorney in Scranton, Sal Cognetti, acted as a character reference for DeNaples’ application to the gaming board for a slot-machine casino license. Marino did as well, while he was still in office.

DeNaples later won the license and opened the casino in October.

See also, In DeNaples' corner, a prescient piece about DeNaples' penchant for hiring former US Attorneys in the Morning Call shortly before it was revealed that Marino had been hired by DeNaples the month before.

Speaking for former U.S. Attorneys in the service of DeNaples, one of them, Sal Cognetti, is representing Father Sica. When he first arrested for perjury, it was said that the Priest threatened one of the arresting troopers. Now, Cognetti claims that they threatened Sica and prevented him from contacting counsel, Lawyer claims police threatened Rev. Sica. That seems a bit hard to believe, considering that earlier news reports observed that Sica freely spoke on his cell phone, including a call to DeNaples, during the ride from Scranton to Harrisburg, where he was charged.

A final note on the Sica situation. The stark contrast in the view of the good father is best seen in comparing the column by Christoper Kelly of the Scranton Times, This sideshow is no comedy, which in essence provides the opinion of Scrantonians to the charges -- much ado about nothing, to that of the recent Inquirer editorial, Casino Probe, which takes a more somber view of the charges. Yet, even the Inquirer concedes that Sica has an appealing personality, in an accompanying article, Questions surround 'people's priest'.

DeNaples must have a thing for priests and lawyers. I guess it's an understandable combination. Just trying to keep himself out of jail and hell.

(Note: Updated with cartoon from John Cole, The Times Tribune)