United States v. Michael T. Toole

Middle District of Pennsylvania Docket Number 3:CR-09-00385-RPC

The following three court documents are in Adobe PDF format:

• Judgment
• Plea Agreement
• Information

Press Release links by date:

• 12/2/09: Federal officials announce the filing of a criminal information charging a Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Michael T. Toole with Honest Services Fraud and subscribing to a materially false federal income tax return
  
  
• 10/7/10: Superseding criminal information charging former Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Michael T. Toole with corrupt receipt of reward for official action filed
  
  
• 11/2/10: Former Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Michael T. Toole pleads guilty to corrupt receipt of reward for official action
  
  
• 4/8/11: Former Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Michael T. Toole sentenced in federal court

Case Outcome:

Michael T. Toole was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment, three years supervised release, and a $5,000 fine.

Case Summary:

Judge Michael T. Toole of Wilkes-Barre, is charged with honest services fraud and subscribing to a materially false federal income tax return. He is alleged to have corruptly abused his position as a judge by concealing an ongoing financial relationship with an attorney who appeared before him and by improperly ruling in the attorney's favor in a proceeding relating to an uninsured/underinsured motorist arbitration matter. Judge Toole is also alleged to have received a cash referral fee of approximately $30,000 during calendar year 2006 which he failed to report on his federal income tax return that year. The charges together carry a maximum penalty of 23 years in prison and a fine of $350,000.