Federal Officials Announce the Sentencing of a Luzerne County Businessman

Peter J. Smith, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania; Janice Fedarcyk, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation; Troy Stemen, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division; and Kathy Tighe, Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General jointly announced today that Richard Emanski, age 66, of Harvey’s Lake, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by Judge Thomas I. Vanaskie of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, sitting by special designation in the United States District Court. Judge Vanaskie sentenced Emanski to five months’ imprisonment, two years supervised release and a $10,000 fine.

Emanski provided and installed free carpeting of a value of more than $1,000 but less than $5,000 in the residence of a member of the Wilkes-Barre Area School District Board of Education as a reward for support provided by the Board Member for a contract that benefitted Emanski’s business. In October 2009, federal officials announced that Emanski was being charged with corrupt payment of a reward for official action.

According to U.S. Attorney Smith, to date, thirty individuals have been charged with criminal conduct since January 2009, in the ongoing investigation targeting public corruption in Luzerne County.

This case is part of an ongoing 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, John Gurganus, and Criminal Division Chief Christian Fisanick. Smith praised this team of investigators and prosecutors for their tireless efforts on behalf of the people of Luzerne County.