Dismissal of most charges against ex-mayor won’t be appealed

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The Pennsylvania attorney general’s office has decided not to appeal dismissal of most of the charges against former Harrisburg mayor Stephen Reed in the purchase of thousands of artifacts for museums that were never built.

A Dauphin County senior judge in May agreed with Reed’s lawyer that the statute of limitations had expired on 305 of the 449 charges against his client. The judge, however, left intact charges stemming from investigators allegedly finding scores of the city-owned artifacts, including antique firearms, in Reed’s home or a separate storage facility, and his alleged attempts to sell the firearms on consignment. The artifacts also included a life-size sarcophagus, a full suit of armor and a life-size buffalo head.

Solicitor General Bruce Castor said in a statement Friday that a conviction on the remaining 144 charges “could effectively result in a judge sending Mr. Reed to prison for the rest of his life.”

“We see no reason to delay justice any further,” Castor said, noting that the charges “carry a maximum sentence of 886 years in prison.”

Prosecutors allege that 66-year-old Reed, who served 28 years in office, financed the purchases by secretly diverted funds borrowed by municipal agencies and other entities that later helped send the debt-laden city toward bankruptcy. Reed’s lawyer has argued that the activities were carried out in public view with signoff from other government agencies.

Reed left office in January 2010, and Senior Judge Kevin Hess ruled that the statute of limitations had expired in January 2015, six months before Reed was charged. The state attorney general’s office had had argued that the statute of limitations should have run another eight years.

“With his fascination for the Wild West, this man used other people’s money to decorate his house and office with antiques,” Castor said. “But, Pennsylvania is not the Wild West. We have the rule of law here. We look forward to presenting our evidence in court.”

Defense attorney Henry Hockeimer Jr. earlier called the case “an ill-conceived prosecution from the start” and said the defense looks forward to “vigorously contesting the remaining charges at trial.”