Philadelphia Region Local News

PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ― Former Pennsylvania State Senator Vince Fumo, who prosecutors said became "drunk with power" in his many years in the state senate, was sentenced Tuesday to 55 months in prison for corruption. We asked CBS3.com users for their opinions on his sentencing and this is how they responded:

Name : Gman
Hometown : all over
Your Response : heres a thought send him over to the middle east(thats where his sentiencing should have been carried out and debated over. A nice beheading would seem fit

Name : Paul Langley
Hometown : Woodstown NJ.
Your Response : 55 Months! Maybe Philadelphia the most corrupt city in the country would like to move to New Jersey the most corrupt state in the nation. This guy should be locke and have the key thown away.

Name : Bob
Hometown : Abington
Your Response : What happened to the manditory minimum of 10 years? This judge should be held accountable for his actions!

Name : Steven Wilson
Hometown : Dover, DE
Your Response : The last time I checked Vincent Fumo was no Bernie Madoff. Somehow Fumo while still dealing with his dark-side was able to let the good guy come out and still help people in his districts that he had sworn in office to protect and serve like an officer of the law. There?s probably somebody in office right now doing a lot worse than he did that hasn?t been caught yet. But with 137 counts against him you have to wonder how sorry he really is while crying during his sentencing knowing he had already committed several criminal acts against people in his district. I?m not feeling sorry for him. I want a $2.1 million dollar house too. But I want to do it the American way, the honest way. Money, money, money! MONEY! Yeah some people got to have it. They really need it. MONEY! Don?t you hate it when a backstabber smiles at you? Mr. Fake priest Paul Schlear can go visit him in prison with his other buddy, Madoff. Bernie Madoff was the top 5 % of pure evil in any business. Mr. Two-Face shows one face for the cameras and goes home smiling with the other one. DRUNK WITH POWER? Are you kidding me? What was he drinking Coors Light? Mr. Madoff who murdered people mentally, physically and spiritually by taking away their money and life savings. When you have nothing and nothing to live for the only thing you have left is to wait around to die. These two men can?t be compared. The dirty old man can rot in prison and say hello to Al Capone who murdered people and took their money and was locked up by the Federal government for tax evasion instead of violating Prohibition. Yeah I?m comparing the two-guys. Why? Because they?re both whacked-out maniacs and they need a fake priest to pray and support them. 55 Months not enough? Of course not! Fumo stole millions, Madoff stole Billions. The punishment doesn?t fit the crime. What else is new? So let?s all deal with it unless the appeal turns into another 3-ring circus and he doesn?t serve time in a prison that serves expensive wine, crabs and lobster either way he?s still a big crook. So who?s the next politician to get arrested? HMMMM? Luke. I AM YOUR FATHER! One does 55 months, the other does 150 years. They still have a lot in common. RETURN TO SENDER. ADDRESS UNKNOWN. We know what address he?s getting later on!

Name : Bob
Hometown : drexel hill
Your Response : lets see the letters sent to the crooked judge....and all that praised fumo for being a good guy....can gov.rendall now grant him amnesty with a stroke of the pen...corruption still lives in philadelphia....a disgrce

Name : W.Marsh
Hometown : Glen Mills, Pa.
Your Response : Wow ! 55 months. the Judge will probably order that he be confined to his own home between the hours of 11 Pm and 6 Am daily for the next 6 months permiting him to work at his new job in Harrisburg working as a consultant to the Honorable Gov. Rendel,who knows an honest man when he sees one. Salary 150,000.

Name : B. Jones
Hometown : Philadelphia
Your Response : What a travesty of "Justice". Again, a well-connected and rich "person" has mad a mockery of the system. If anyone deserved the max sentence, it is Vince "OPM" Fumo. How quickly he lost his cockiness when addressing the Judge. This judge was hand picked, probably by Fumo. If he were an honest, everyday citizen, he would have the book thrown at him. Doesn't his conviction abolish his very lucrative pension? 137 counts and he gets 4 years 7 months. What "Justice"

Name : Linda Brodeur
Hometown : Bethlehem, pa
Your Response : Ridiculous sentence. Anyone can do good deeds for the community if the money they are using is not theirs and there is alot of it! He had the biggest ego and felt he was better than anyone else and living off the money of the taxpayers. He should have received the 15 year sentence-the judge should be kicked off the bench for this decision! THis sends a message that if you are a big enought crook but have contacts and a good sob story you can get off with a light sentence. 137 counts and he gets 4 yrs. 7 months!! It doesn't even compare in fairness to the other crooks who got bigger sentences for stealing less!


Name : john
Hometown : wash twnp,nj
Your Response : 55 months is a joke. His abuse of power is appalling. I am sure Fumo will get out in 2 years.Philadelphia is one of the most corrupt cities in America! abused his


Name : Brad
Hometown : Philadelphia, PA
Your Response : Cory Kemp gets 10 years for a free deck on his house and Fumo gets 4 years, 7 months for 'misappropriating' millions...what a joke! VF should split a cell with Bernie Madoff; they can share trade secrets.

Name : Erin
Hometown : Phoenixville
Your Response : I think if a guy gets 4 years in prison for stealing 91 lobster tails, then a guy who is convicted of 137 counts of fraud should certainly get more than 4 years, 7 months!

Name : Eric M Jones
Hometown : Atco NJ 08004
Your Response : What a disgrace!!!! Four years 7 months. A worker at Ballys AC just got 4yrs for stealing lobsters (1,295.00)worth. Where's the justice system going. They should fire that judge. I feel sorry for the Federal Prosecutors who worked so hard on this case. This country is falling fast.

Name : Jerry D
Hometown : Philadelphia
Your Response : Politicians are lawyers. Lawyers are judges. They are all in the same bed together. Pay to play is their motto!! What a disgrace!

Name : Bruce Ferraro
Hometown : Chalfont
Your Response : Amazing...the guy stole million$ for years and now we are burdened to pay for his incarceration too. What an ANCHOR on society.

Name : Regina Orume
Hometown : Philadelphia
Your Response : I ask you candidly, how could Fumo receive such a light sentence for the treachery, wickedness and deceit for his wrongdoings. His sentencing proves to me that all men are not created equally and our criminal system can work for you if you are rich.

Name : John J. Wilwert Sr.
Hometown : Brookhaven, Pa.
Your Response : I am a pa. resident all of my life. I am 74 yrs. old, have had a quad tripple by pass, have diabetis, naropathy and am epileptic. I would like to see what sentence they would have given me, Mr Fumo is a political crook, he deserves much more than he got. I guess being in politics definately has it's perks.Let a tax payer like myself, steel 4.2 million dollars from pa. taxpayers and see what kind of sentence i would get, probably...life......P.S That judge should be run off the bench, WHAT A MISCARRIGE OF JUSTICE, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT


Name : Shar R
Hometown : Philadelphia
Your Response : I am upset with our judicial system. It that what they call "making an example", giving him four years...I call that C.R.E.A.M (cash rules everything around me) and even though he using what he swindled from us,the people, he still got a pluck, not a slap on the wrists. That's not what my vote to put people in office are supposed to be used for. Let's get it together peoples!!

Name : Greg
Hometown : Drexel Hill
Your Response : Money can't buy your love,but it sure can reduce a prison sentence.

Name : Dr. Stan Broskey
Hometown : Holland, PA
Your Response : That Federal judge must be senile... he ought to retire. All Penna politicial thieves will want to be sentenced by that feeble minded judge!

Name : Fred
Hometown : Phila
Your Response : I am outraged at this incredibly light sentence. Judge Buckwalter failed miserably by completely ignoring the sentencing guidelines. If you are as upset as I am, call the judge in his chambers at 215-597-3084 to express your disappointment.

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