Intelligencer, The (Doylestown, PA)January 28, 2009

Hoeffel urges investigation of Castor

The Democratic Montgomery County commissioner is asking for a criminal investigation of hiscolleague in light of testimony this week at the trial of former state Sen. Vincent J. Fumo. The DA saysno probe seems warranted.

By Margaret GibbonsSTAFF WRITER A fellow commissioner Tuesday called for a criminal investigation of Republican Montgomery CountyCommissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr.'s alleged use of his county office for political activities when Castor was district attorney.The demand for the investigation from Commissioner Joseph M. Hoeffel III, a Democrat and longtimeCastor political foe, came in the wake of Castor's testimony Monday as a defense witness for embattledformer state Sen. Vincent J. Fumo, who is on trial in federal court for political corruption.Castor was called to testify in an effort to discredit the prosecution testimony of Christian Marrone,Fumo's son-in-law and a former Montgomery County assistant district attorney who was fired byCastor.Under cross-examination by federal prosecutors, Castor admitted using his county computer during business hours to exchange e-mails with Marrone during Castor's ill-fated attempt to win the GOPnomination for state attorney general, according to published reports. Castor also admitted to having political conversations with Marrone during business hours, those same reports said."The prosecution produced e-mails that were clearly political between Mr. Castor and Mr. Marrone,sent out on the county e-mail system," said Hoeffel, basing his comments on news accounts of theFumo trial. "Mr. Castor also admitted that he held political meetings with Mr. Marrone in his countyoffice and that Mr. Marrone conducted campaign activities on county time."This is a clear violation of our ethics code and a possible violation of state and federal statutes and I believe that this type of activity is exactly what District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman had in mind whenshe christened her corruption unit," said Hoeffel at a press conference he held in the press room at thecounty courthouse in Norristown.Castor, a career prosecutor until becoming an elected county commissioner in 2008, Tuesday admitted"I should not have communicated about personal matters using the county's e-mail system." However,he denied his conduct was criminal.He explained that Marrone, whom he hired as an assistant district attorney in 2002, approached him,wanting to help him with his re-election bid as district attorney in 2003 and, particularly, with hiscampaign for state attorney general in 2004."I allowed him to do that and some of our brief communications occurred in the office when we wouldsee each other or over short e-mails," said Castor. "It was incidental, not planned, but that doesn'texcuse it."