Ever since he was convicted of an elaborate pay-for-play scheme to further his political ambitions, an unrepentant former Allentown mayor has been trying every which way from Sunday to get out of prison and have his conviction overturned. I am happy to say that the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wasn’t buying his latest attempt and rejected Ed Pawlowski’s efforts to skirt the punishment for his sins.

This means that Pawlowski, along with a co-defendant, Scott Allinson, who also appealed, will continue to serve their respective sentences. In Pawlowski’s case, it is 15 years; Allinson, who is free on bail during his appeals process, may be sent back to prison to complete his 27-month sentence now that the federal court has rendered its ruling.

Pawlowski was convicted in 2018 after a sensational six-week trial in which prosecutors presented jurors with a mountain of evidence tying him and his political associates to a scheme which would exchange city contracts for contributions to Pawlowski’s unsuccessful U.S. senate and governor campaigns.

Speaking for the three-judge panel, Judge Thomas L. Ambro wrote: “The government’s case against Pawlowski was strong. Its evidence showed a man eager to influence and be influenced if it would help him fund his political campaigns.” It’s expected that attorneys for both men will continue their appeals, possibly to the U.S. Supreme Court.

I have no animosity toward Pawlowski and have said in previous columns that he was in many respects an effective mayor who largely had the well-being of Allentown and its residents at heart until ambition and power went to his head and he set his sights on higher office. Neither of his campaigns got off the ground.

A similar case in Reading snared former Mayor Vaughn Spencer, and between the third- and fifth-largest cities in the state, 16 people were convicted or pleaded guilty to corruption-related charges. Both Pawlowski and Spencer are Democrats.

Pawlowski, 56, was by far the biggest fish caught in the federal prosecutors’ net as he was charged with bribery, attempted extortion, wire and mail fraud and other charges. Pawlowski is serving his time at a federal correctional institution in Cumberland, Maryland.

Allinson was convicted of conspiracy and bribery for arranging contributions to Pawlowski’s senate bid in exchange for legal work for his Allentown firm.

Since the beginning of his legal problems, Pawlowski has refused to accept any responsibility for his crimes. He insists he did nothing wrong, that he was the subject of a witch hunt and made to be the scapegoat for the series of white-collar crimes.

At Pawlowski’s trial, federal Judge Juan Sanchez was highly critical of the ex-mayor’s lack of remorse, and I am sure that this played a role in the near maximum sentence. Pawlowski was mayor for 12 years - elected four times - before his resignation. Because he felt he had not done anything wrong, Pawlowski did not feel he needed to apologize for any wrongdoing.

At the time of sentencing, Sanchez said, “No remorse, no contrition.” This would have been the perfect time for Pawlowski to throw himself on the mercy of the court, just as other defendants in the schemes had done, If he had done this, he might have gotten a lighter sentence. The fact that Pawlowski didn’t ’fess up prompted the judge to order the defendant taken to prison immediately, and he was led from the courtroom in handcuffs.

I was thrilled with the words of a federal prosecutor after the sentencing of one of the co-defendants in the case, because it serves as a warning to 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,” said prosecutor Jennifer Arbittier Williams. The message is clear: Even though it might not seem so at times, no one is above the law.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.