Fumo to be freed from prison Tuesday

Former Pennsylvania State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo is scheduled to leave federal prison in Ashland, Ky., Tuesday morning after spending four years behind bars, his lawyers said.

Fumo, 70, a longtime power broker in city and state politics, will live in a North Philadelphia halfway house and work as a $10-an-hour office assistant at his attorney's law firm.

His fiancee, Carolyn Zinni, is scheduled to pick him up and make the drive of more than 500 miles back to Philadelphia. Zinni does not fly, his lawyers said.

Fumo must report to the Kintock Group halfway house at 301 E. Erie Ave. He will be transferred to the supervision of the community corrections managers of the Bureau of Prisons for the last six months of his sentence. Under standard federal prison procedures, his 61-month term was reduced seven months as a reward for good behavior.

When authorities determine he is ready, Fumo will finish his community confinement in his 33-room Green Street mansion.

Fumo, the former chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, was convicted July 14, 2009, of 139 counts of conspiracy and defrauding the Senate and two nonprofits of several million dollars.

As part of his half-year transition, Fumo will be allowed to leave the halfway house and his home only for work, medical visits, and religious services, and to consult with his lawyers.

He can have as many visitors as he likes at his home.

Fumo will work for $10 an hour for his lead defense attorney, Dennis Cogan. "He will answer the phone and be taking basic interviews," Cogan said. "He can gather information and do research for me, but he is forbidden from giving any legal advice."

At the time of his sentencing, Fumo surrendered his law license. He has a law degree from Temple University and an MBA from the Wharton School.

Fumo must pay a quarter of his earnings to Kintock as a requirement of his transfer.

A host of vexing problems awaits him in Philadelphia. He is estranged from all three of his children; two are suing him to dismantle the multimillion-dollar trust he set up for them.

Soon, U.S. District Judge Ronald L. Buckwalter will set a new sentencing date for Fumo. Federal prosecutors are gearing up to argue that he owes an additional $800,000 in restitution to his victims. He has already paid about $3.5 million.

He is also fighting the IRS, which has filed a civil complaint, contending he owes the Treasury $2.9 million.