Posted: Friday, 06 February 2009 12:33PM
Favoritism Is Always Unfair
Steve Corbett Reporting
Friday, February 06, 2009
The caller accused me of trying to ruin the Musto family name.
Not everybody likes every Musto in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Not everybody likes everybody named Corbett either.
But defaming the character of some fine public servants named Musto is not on my agenda.
I respect Pennsylvania Sen. Ray Musto. I respect his niece, Luzerne County District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll. And I respect his brother, Luzerne County Judge Joe Musto.
Although I never met Ray’s nephew, Jackie’s first-cousin and Joe’s son, “Rob,” the 29-year-old Pittston husband, father and restaurateur seems to leave a lot to be desired when it comes to character.
Back in May, Laflin police charged Rob with leaving the scene of a one-vehicle accident and filing false police reports. Rob claimed an assailant punched him in the face and stole his vehicle. Laflin cops later dropped the false report charge because Rob eventually told the truth about lying, according to Laflin Police Chief Michael Flanagan.
Laflin cops said they knew nothing about Rob’s heavy political family ties.
At least one Laflin cop, though, knew Rob because a police report about the incident details how Rob approached the officer as a social acquaintance to admit to filing the false report – an investigation that tied up two police departments and might have endangered lives by talking police away from other serious duties.
Flanagan told me on Thursday in a telephone interview that his officer used his discretion and dropped the serious charge in the interest of truth and justice.
On “Corbett” yesterday, though, a caller from Laflin said Laflin cops charged him with speeding even though he admitted to the offense. Although Flanagan said that his officers would do the same for “anybody,” meaning that they would cut anybody a break, they did not do the same for the caller.
Flanagan said he does not plan to authorize the re-filing of the charge against Rob Musto.
“Case closed,” he said.
Police in a real police department should re-file the charge. Filing a bogus police complaint is a stone cold sober offense that must not be taken lightly. Admitting guilt should not entitle anybody to a favor – especially somebody who is a social acquaintance of an officer in the department. Preferential treatment for any reason is always unfair.
Now Rob Musto finds himself in another disgraceful mess.
In a December incident that is only now coming to light, Duryea police charge that he resisted arrest and fought with police who tried to take him into custody for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
Duryea police allege that Rob asked if they knew who his father was and threatened to get them fired. Police allege that he said “he will get out of any charges filed or any citations issued to him or any of his friends.”
By mentioning his father, Rob disgraced his family name. I didn’t mention his dad until long after he did.
And since his father is a judge on a county bench that is under the heaviest scrutiny in its history – with two former president judges having signed plea agreements admitting their guilt in a $2.6 million kickback scheme – we need to know every answer to every question about Rob’s miserable adventure.
The federal probe of the Luzerne County courthouse is continuing. More arrests are expected and several high-profile county lawyers are reported to have received target letters alerting to them to specific inquiry into their behavior.
That’s why I asked on “Corbett” for Judge Musto to issue a public statement about his son’s arrest. Before the show was over he did just that. He said that he and his wife stood by Rob and that he hoped the allegations weren’t true. He said that his son will not receive special treatment.
That’s good to know.
Once was enough.
Beating the rap in Laflin was special treatment. Maybe cops didn’t know Rob’s major political connections. Maybe sheer injudiciousness (another word for stupidity) motivated them to let him off when they should have prosecuted him vigorously and set an example.
Contrary to what Chief Flanagan said, truth and justice had nothing to do with this injustice.
That’s why the FBI should add Laflin to their list of stops the next time they’re in the neighborhood.
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