Every big case takes extraordinary time and effort. But in Philly, the federal prosecutors who convicted ex-Sen. Vince Fumo may have been more intense than most. It obviously paid off with the a conviction on all 137 counts.
- Ex-Sen. Vincent Fumo
By Robert Moran
Philadelphia Inquirer
PHILADELPHIA –– They were the Brains and the Bulldog, and they were unyielding.
Every day court was in session during Vincent J. Fumo’s nearly five-month corruption trial, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert A. Zauzmer and John J. Pease were never spotted at any of the nearby lunch spots.
They spent their breaks in a windowless room at the federal courthouse, prepping witnesses and plotting strategy, FBI Agent Vicki Humphreys recalled.
“John and Bob’s work ethic is incredible,” she said.
“It was not unusual to get an e-mail from John before 7 a.m. and one from Bob at 2 or 3 in the morning,” former FBI Agent Kathleen T. McAfee said. Both agents led the Fumo investigation.
Zauzmer and Pease had to be uncompromising to take down Fumo, the former state senator from Philadelphia with a reputation as a relentless politician.
Zauzmer was the strategist. “He’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever met,” Pease said.
“You know you can’t outwork him,” Zauzmer said of Pease.
