Guilty Plea Caps Steep Fall For Ex-Pennsylvania Treasurer McCord

HARRISBURG (KDKA) -- The usually gregarious former state Treasurer Rob McCord had little to say as he left federal court in Harrisburg on Tuesday morning after he pled guilty to two counts of extortion under the Hobbs Act.

On Jan. 30 when he resigned, McCord admitted his offense.

"The facts are these," McCord said in a video. "I stepped over the line by trying to take advantage of the fact that two potential contributors who wanted to continue to do business with the Commonwealth -- and by developing talking points to remind them that I could make things difficult for them -- I essentially said that the potential contributors should not risk making an enemy of the state treasurer. Clearly, that was wrong. I was wrong."

In court documents McCord signed, he admitted he tried to strong-arm two companies with government contracts to donate to his gubernatorial campaign.

One of those was a Pittsburgh area property management firm from whom McCord wanted $100,000.

"It was a mistake. I stand ready to pay the price for that mistake," he said.

Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years and a quarter million dollar fine, but McCord signed a plea agreement with the feds.

"Rob McCord didn't just plead guilty," said former U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan. "He actually waived indictment to the charges, and he allowed the United States to charge him by criminal information as opposed to requiring the United States Attorney to present the matter to a federal grand jury."

Buchanan, now a criminal defense lawyer in New York, told KDKA political editor Jon Delano that McCord saved the government money and is likely to get a reduced sentence.

"It's really too early to predict. The sentencing guidelines that are in place for this offense do call for a sentence of imprisonment," she said.

McCord is free for now with a sentencing conference set for late June.

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