Mitchell Rubin Charged with Obstruction of Justice
| U.S. Attorney’s Office March 10, 2010 |
PHILADELPHIA—Mitchell Rubin, the former chairman of the Pennsylvania Turnpike commission and an owner of B&R Professional Services, Inc. (“B&R”), in Philadelphia, was charged today by information with obstruction of justice in connection with the grand jury investigation of former State Senator Vincent J. Fumo, announced Acting United States Attorney Virginia Gibson.
The information alleges that, beginning in 2003, federal authorities conducted a federal grand jury investigation to determine, among other matters, whether Fumo abused his authority regarding the use of Senate funds in awarding a $30,000 annual contract from 1999 through 2004 to B&R, of which defendant Rubin was a 50 percent shareholder. It is alleged that, during this grand jury investigation, federal investigators attempted to determine whether the B&R contract was a legitimate contract for tasks related to the performance of Senate business or was an improper payment of public money, and issued a subpoena for all pertinent records in the possession of defendant Rubin and B&R. It is alleged that, on March 23, 2006, federal investigators interviewed Rubin regarding the specific circumstances that led to the award of the Senate contract to Rubin and his company B&R, the types of services that were to be provided under the terms of the contract, Rubin’s relationship with Fumo, and the specific nature of any actual work that Rubin performed under the terms of the contract. During this interview, it is alleged that defendant Rubin obstructed justice by withholding material facts and other information regarding these subjects, all of which were material to the grand jury’s investigation.
INFORMATION REGARDING THE DEFENDANT
| NAME | ADDRESS | AGE OR YEAR OF BIRTH |
| Mitchell Rubin | Philadelphia, PA | 1952 |
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and a $100 special assessment.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John J. Pease and Robert A. Zauzmer.