Ex-Pennsylvania Turnpike Employee Gets Probation

A former Pennsylvania Turnpike employee pleaded guilty to charges of theft, harassment and unauthorized use of a state car, in what the presiding judge called an "offshoot" of a widely publicized pay-to-play scandal.

Raymond Zajicek, 68, a retired fare collection manager, pleaded guilty Jan. 13 in the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas in Harrisburg and received two years of probation, 50 hours of community service and more than $4,000 in restitution and fines from Judge Todd Hoover.

Zajicek, who now lives in Tarpon Springs, Fla., must serve two years of probation, perform 50 hours of community service and pay more than $4,000 in restitution and fines, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Attorney General Kathleen Kane last March charged eight men in relation to a pay-to-play scandal. They included Mitchell Rubin and Joseph Brimmeier, the former chairman and chief executive, respectively, of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.

Zajicek's attorney, David Berardinelli of DeForest Koscelnik Yokitis Skinner & Berardinelli, said he would not testify against the other defendants. "He's not involved with that part of the case," Berardinelli said outside the courthouse.

Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission on Jan. 8 named Ray Morrow inspector general. Morrow, with more than 20 years of experience working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and corporate investigations is responsible for examining reports of theft, fraud and waste at the Turnpike.

Morrow, who operates from the Turnpike's central administration building near Middletown, Pa., will monitor employee behavior, identifying and dealing with any misconduct that may arise and ensuring the commission operates "professionally and ethically."

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