A bit of the local banter on this subject: a witch hunt this is not. In all honesty, a lot of Dems are prepared to let Dr. Wecht take a fall. As the years have gone on, Dr. Wecht’s ego has expanded, which probably led to his current predicament. Wecht actually endorsed President Bush in 2004 (and hasn’t exactly been in lockstep with local Dems since dropping the county executive race to Jim Roddey in 1999), so to spin his legal troubles as a Buchanan-led political exposition is partisan pandering. There is really no good reason to “take out” Dr. Wecht, due to the fact that he has maligned himself so terribly that he has rendered himself almost irrelevant. The GOP certainly is in no danger of taking his post (County Executive Onorato will almost certainly name another Dem, possibly someone more to his personal liking), and no other tangible benefit is really in sight here for the Republicans. Wecht did this to Wecht.

The indictment and related documents are online, free of charge, in PDF format at this site:

I fervently hope that Mary Beth Buchanan’s reputation will be as much in jeapordy when Cyril Wecht is exonerated as his reputation is jeapordized by the charges she has brought against him. If these charges are proven to have been groundless, Ms Buchanan’s prosecution of a witch hunt against Dr. Wecht should be broadly publicized so that her true nature might never again be in doubt. David Greene N. Huntingdon, PA

This is just really sick – Ben

The whole situation is horrible.

I am no big fan of Wecht’s, but I do believe this has the smell of a political witch hunt. Mary Beth Buchanan is solidly with the GOP and all the Republican’s in the area would love to see Cyril go down hard.

Now, the guy is rather odd, and his high-profile meanderings over the years have left him open to potential conflicts, but it will be very interesting to see how it all plays out. Wecht is not a stupid person. It only remains to be seen whether he just got too sure of himself.

As to it being sick? What’s that all about.

Pilt

The trading bodies to local schools in exchange for lab space is kind of sick.

I think being in the spotlight and becoming a bit of a celebrity could cause him to overreach a bit. I haven’t been keeping a close eye on this – is it really a GOP witch hunt?

Doing private work on company time. . .overestimating mileage reimbursement on an expense report. . .these are the indictments? So who’s innocent? I haven’t traded any cadavers lately, but those of you in forensics—remember the guy who collected hyoid bones? And the pathologist who dropped dead babies from a third floor to see the effect? Becky

Don’t forget the receipt of faxes. This case is truly a waste of tax payer money. So the Pittsburgh area should have to spend millions to go after Wecht for monetary grievances Mary’s squad still can’t provide a number on.

As for political ambitions, Ms. Buchanan is truly one to abuse her office. She aggressively went after Pete’s sheriffs for perjury, yet in the Government vs. Rottschaefer, Ms. Buchanan has refused to even investigate a prosecution witness who outlined her plans to perjury herself to the grand jury and during a trial in order to secure a plea agreement. Mary’s team consolidated this witness’s five durg distribution charges to one at a federal level, got the witness released from jail, and then waited 18 months (3 months after Rottschaefer’s trial) to give this witness, a repeat offender, probation/time served.

Now after two separate courts have ruled the witness was guilty of perjury, Ms. Buchanan has refused to revoke the plea agreement or investigate the matter. I hope this lapse of judgement on her part is not repeating itself.

Starting to wonder if the Rottschaefer case is an example of mis-spent money that Mary’s team needed to justify at all costs. I personally don’t like the idea of giving five repeat felons get out of jail free cards to testify against the doctor in this case, yet Mary does not seem to mind.

Where are the dollar amounts? 84 Counts seems high? What is the total amount or estimate of the fraud? Is there a number out there? Future analysis of the cost of this court case vs. zero amount of fraud charged? Wounder which scale will hold the weight? Were are the numbers???? So far, the weight is on the cost of the case going to trail? Analysis for this case, total cost of the trial compared to the material amount of fraud? Total cost to the taxpayers???

I am glad it seems that Pittsburgh is financially flush enough to go on a rampage against a 76 year old grandpa who abused his fax privledges. I don’t know ANYONE who could stand up to this amount of nit-picking. I hope the jury deliberates a little faster as the true crime is against tax=payers.