The sentencing on April 26 of political fixer Mike Fleck to five years in prison was one of the last major puzzle pieces that completes an ugly picture of corruption and graft in Pennsylvania’s third- and fifth-largest cities — Allentown and Reading.

Fleck, who pleaded guilty three years ago and turned FBI informant to save his own skin, was sentenced to five years in federal prison for tax evasion and for his role in the unsavory pay-for-play scandal in Allentown. He was also implicated in behind-the-scenes political manipulation in Reading where he had been hired by former Mayor Vaughn Spencer to help him win re-election in 2015, a bid that was unsuccessful.

Fleck also was ordered to pay $134,000 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release after his prison term.

Spencer, 71, was sentenced earlier last week to eight years in prison for corruption and bribery. He also was fined $35,000 and ordered to spend three years on supervised release after serving his time.

Last October, an unrepentant Ed Pawlowski, 53, had to resign as mayor of Allentown after winning re-election in 2017 to an unprecedented fourth term. After the election, Pawlowski, who had been convicted but not sentenced, was sent to prison for 15 years. Pawlowski has appealed but was denied his freedom and is an inmate at a federal prison in Connecticut while the appeal plays out.

Pawlowski was found guilty on 47 charges, including bribery, conspiracy, attempted extortion, giving false statements to federal investigators, mail fraud and wire fraud. He has refused to apologize, saying he did nothing wrong.

Federal Judge Juan Sanchez, who sentenced Pawlowski, Spencer and 15 other elected and appointed officials, along with vendors and service providers, blasted Pawlowski at his sentencing as he labeled the mayor “unrepentant.” “No remorse, no contrition,” Sanchez said as he imposed the harshest sentence among the 17.

Unlike Pawlowski, Spencer, a former teacher, was contrite and said that he was a role model who let people down. Fleck said he was “sorry for everything that we did.” He told the judge that he was motivated by money and greed and knew what he was doing was wrong.

Pawlowski was implicated in a “pay-for-play” ploy, which required city vendors and service providers to come up with campaign contributions to help Pawlowski in his unsuccessful bids for governor in 2014 and U.S. senator in 2015.

Using Fleck and Fleck’s associate Sam Ruchlewicz as “enforcers,” those who did business with the cities were made to understand that if there were no contributions there would be no contracts. Ruchlewicz was never charged, although he also cooperated in the FBI probe.

Both Pawlowski’s and Spencer’s undoing was largely thanks to Fleck’s agreement with the FBI to wear a wire (a hidden recording device). At one point, Pawlowski and Fleck were close friends whose families vacationed together.

Just before the FBI raided Allentown City Hall and Pawlowski’s office in early July 2015, Pawlowski had heard a rumor that Fleck was wearing a wire, confronted him and even patted him down but did not find the device. That’s when the FBI decided it was time to move in.

Fleck is a former Easton City Councilman who opened two consulting businesses — one to help candidates and public officials and one to help vendors get government contracts. This was labeled as a “blatant conflict of interest” by federal investigators.

After the FBI raid, Fleck promptly shuttered his businesses and clandestinely left town virtually overnight for an undisclosed location, presumably in Florida.

Although he was a key to the government’s case brought against Pawlowski and Spencer, Fleck never testified at their trials or when they were sentenced.

I have written extensively of the long list of recent Pennsylvania officials who have been charged with or convicted of wrongdoing. The length of the list is disgusting. It reads like a “who’s who” of the once powerful and connected.

There was former state Treasurer Rob McCord, also implicated in a “pay for play” scheme during his unsuccessful gubernatorial bid in 2014. Then there was former state Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin, who was convicted of illegally using her sister’s state Senate office resources for political purposes.

U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-Philadelphia, was sentenced to jail on bribery charges. Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams pleaded guilty to bribery and is in jail.

Locally, the clerks of courts of both Carbon and Schuylkill counties were charged with illegally diverting taxpayers’ funds for their own use.

William McGinley of Jim Thorpe is awaiting further Carbon County court action after being accused of taking about $46,000 for personal use. He resigned a year ago following his re-election five months earlier to a seventh four-year term.

Steven Lukach of Lake Hauto pleaded guilty to mail fraud and falsifying records. His case brought in the FBI because of the federal offense, so he pleaded guilty in federal court. Lukach served as clerk of courts for 27 years before resigning in 2014 when the investigation began. His sentencing is expected within the next several months.

All of the elected officials mentioned previously are Democrats, with the exception of former Judge Melvin.

Following the Spencer sentencing, federal prosecutor Jennifer Arbittier Williams had this warning for other public officials who might be tempted to break the law: “We will prosecute you; we will convict you, and we will send you to prison.”

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com