The federal judge presiding over state Sen. Lawrence Farnese’s bribery case has denied requests to throw out the charges against him and a city Democratic committeewoman he allegedly bribed for political support.
U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania’s order allowing the case to proceed to trial came down Jan. 20. Rufe’s ruling comes two days after defense lawyers for Farnese and co-defendant Ellen Chapman argued in court that the prosecution was overreaching its federal authority by interfering in local political matters.
