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State lawmaker goes on leave after federal charges surface

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania state lawmaker who was secretly charged by federal prosecutors nearly a year ago is a no-show in Harrisburg as lawmakers return to session in the state Capitol.

The Capitol office of Rep. Leslie Acosta was closed Monday morning, and a Democratic caucus spokesman says she's on leave.Court records show a money-laundering conspiracy charge filed last November against the Philadelphia Democrat. It was quietly unsealed in March when a still-secret plea document was filed.Acosta is running unopposed for a second term in the Nov. 8 election.Her charges remained a secret until Friday, when The Philadelphia Inquirer first reported them.Acosta and her lawyer haven't returned several messages. An Acosta district office aide in Philadelphia says she wasn't authorized to talk to reporters and wouldn't take a message.