Sandusky Not Forfeiting $59,000 Pension?

Jerry Sandusky, former assistant football coach at Penn State who was convicted of 45 of 48 criminal counts surrounding his abuse of children over fifteen years, will still recieve his pension of $59,000 a year. It seems Sandusky's crimes do not fall under PA Act 140, a state statute that allows prosecutors to require criminals to forfeit their pensions. Although Sandusky is likely to spend the rest of his life in prison (at our expense) we also get to pay him his $59,000 pension. What's wrong with this picture?

You and I will work to pay taxes to house and feed Sandusky. But he also gets to gouge us for $59,000 for his pension. What is wrong with those who crafted this statute that they neglected to included child abusers under this statute? Instead Act 140 covers crimes like forgery, witness tampering, embezzlement and other similar crimes. 140 is meant to cover a wide range of abuse of power while an individual holds a position in a public entity.

While many have commented that Pennsylvania lawmakers should immediately get to work to reform this law where does that leave Sandusky? Richer each year by $59,000. Any laws passes now likely would not be enforcable retroactively so Sandusky will continue to collect.

My only hope is that civil law suits will take every cent the man has now as well as his yearly $59,000. It is obscene that I have to pay state taxes to give this man one cent. I encourage you to contact your lawmakers to make thoughtful changes to this law, this time taking into account any criminal activity by a public official.

I realize $59,000 isn't a huge sum. But as we sit in a state that doesn't have enough money to pay education costs it seems that paying Sandusky any money out of the state budget is another crime! Sandusky's crimes are far worse than any of the crimes currently covered in Act 140.  We need to stop adding insult to injury by allowing the state to pay him his pension.