Former Member of the Luzerne County Housing Authority Sentenced After He Was Charged with Aiding and Abetting Payment of a Corrupt Reward/Bribe

Dennis C. Pfannenschmidt, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Gerald Bonner, age 66, a former member of the Luzerne County Housing Authority, of Mountaintop, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Thomas I. Vanaskie to serve two years on probation, including three months on house arrest. Judge Vanaskie also ordered that Bonner also pay a $7,500 fine.

In September 2009, Bonner was charged with passing a cash reward/bribe of less than $5,000 to another member of the Luzerne County Housing Authority. The Indictment charged that the payment came from a business owner who had contracts valued at more than $5,000 during 2008 and 2009 with the Authority.

According to U.S. Attorney Pfannenschmidt, Bonner was the twelfth person charged with criminal conduct since January 2009. To date, twenty-eight individuals, including Bonner, have been charged in an on-going investigation targeting public corruption in Luzerne County.

This case was part of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service and is being prosecuted by a team of federal prosecutors led by Senior Litigation Counsel Gordon Zubrod and includes Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Houser, Michael Consiglio, Amy Phillips and Criminal Division Chief Christian Fisanick. Pfannenschmidt praised this team of investigators and prosecutors for their tireless efforts on behalf of the people of Luzerne County.