"$1,500 for a Suit?" Or, "A Dummies Guide to Political Corruption"
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Big Billy Brace all smiles in his $1,500 tailor-made suit that just landed him a prison sentence.
Like an episode of the HBO series The Sopranos, another gangster thug in Luzerne County has been nabbed. This time it’s “Big Billy” Brace the county’s former Deputy Clerk.
Brace plead guilty today to accepting a $1,500 tailor-made suit in exchange for helping a contractor win a contract with Luzerne County.
“Big Billy” was so happy to receive his reward that he took a road trip to New York City to meet with a tailor so he could be custom fitted.
Paulie Walnuts, always the dapper dresser, would be proud.
Now, let’s look a little into “Big Billy’s” past. He first started taking taxpayer money in 1971 when he landed a job for the City of Wilkes-Barre and retired as the city’s chief clerk in 2001. 17 days after retirement he landed a job as deputy to the county Clerk of Courts. In 2005 he landed another county job when he took a position as chief clerk for the county commissioners. Then in 2008 he moved up to the state level by becoming the local registrar for the Bureau of Vital Statistics.
“Big Billy” has been living off the taxpayers for years.
According to the Times Leader archives, Brace earns about $60k a year in his registrar job and also collects a $42k a year pension from the city plus full health benfits until he’s six feet under. He also receives an undisclosed amount from his county pension and will also receive a state pension from his latest stint. Chances are “Big Biilly” could be pulling down about $150k a year plus benefits when he fully retires.
When he resigned from county government, Luzerne County Commissioner Maryanne Petrilla, who is about as trustworthy and loyal as a pet rattle-snake, said, “He always has stepped to the plate no matter what the situation has been. We’ve had some troubling times in the county and Bill has been a great friend and a great public servant.”
Maryanne, how are you feeling about this “great public servant” now? What about the other 18 “great public servants” who have been nabbed in this corruption probe?
The 18 other criminals nabbed so far include judges, school board presidents, attorneys and business owners. I’ve heard from very reliable sources that there are more coming, including a big “Christmas present” arrest.
The story of “Big Billy” Brace is nothing new. Billy got a suit, a Wilkes-Barre area school director got free carpeting, teachers got jobs for handing over cash, and juveniles got remanded for prison in exchange for former judges Michael Conahan and Mark “Scooch” Ciavarella collecting $2.5 million in kickbacks.
Like a septic tank that’s in bad need of pumping, the scum keeps rising to the top in Luzerne County as the feds are there to skim them up. “Big Billy” should lose every pension he has coming, should be fired immediately from his state job, and be removed from the city’s health insurance. But, we’ll have to see what happens there, don’t expect too much.
I just hope Billy wears that $1,500 custom tailored suit for his court hearing and remains with him as his prison uniform and a reminder of his criminal past.
Is it Maryanne Petrilla or Todd Vonderheid in drag? The Luzerne County webmaster needs to fix!Note to the Luzerne County website webmaster, you may want to check the link for Marianne Petrilla’s bio. I don’t think she would want to have anything to do with former commissioner Todd Vonderheid, I know I wouldn’t want to!
