By David DeKok
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - The mayor of Allentown, the third largest city in Pennsylvania, is among the latest officials charged in a long-running federal corruption investigation, according to indictments unsealed on Wednesday.
Edwin Pawlowski, a Democrat who is running for a fourth term, was one of five people accused of bribery, extortion, wire fraud and other charges in two indictments that included a total of 73 counts.
Seven others have already pleaded guilty in the probe. Wednesday's new defendants include Vaughn Spencer, 70, a Democrat who previously served as the first black mayor of Reading, Pennsylvania.
"Pawlowski and Spencer essentially put a 'for sale' sign on City Hall and sold out to the highest bidder," said Louis Lappen, the acting U.S. attorney in Philadelphia, at a news conference on Wednesday.
Pawlowski, who took office as mayor in 2006 and was twice re-elected, also campaigned unsuccessfully for Pennsylvania governor in 2014 and U.S. Senate in 2015.
He is accused of accepting more than $150,000 in contributions to his various campaigns from vendors with the understanding they would receive city contracts in exchange.
Spencer, meanwhile, offered a bribe Rebecca Acosta, president of the city school board, to persuade her husband, Francisco Acosta, who was president of the city council, to support repeal of a city anti-corruption ordinance that limited the size of campaign donations, according to authorities.
Rebecca Acosta was among those indicted on Wednesday. Her husband previously pleaded guilty and is in prison.
The two schemes were separate, though they included some of the same players, according to prosecutors. James Hickey, a business consultant, was named in both indictments, while Michael Fleck, who previously pleaded guilty, served as campaign manager for both mayors.
Charges against Pawlowski had been expected for some time. Earlier this year, Allentown's former managing director pleaded guilty as part of the investigation and implicated Pawlowski in a $3 million bid-rigging scheme to benefit a campaign donor.
Pawlowski, who has denied wrongdoing, was expected to address the charges at a news conference later on Wednesday in Allentown.
The mayor sought to cover up the scheme by deleting emails, instructing his campaign aides to do the same and sweeping his office for listening devices installed by law enforcement, the indictment said.