PITTSBURGH (AP) — A judge has suspended Joan Orie Melvin's entire sentence on a corruption conviction, while a part of it is reviewed by an appeals court.
But Melvin's attorney objected to the ruling at a Friday morning hearing, since she will no longer get credit for time served while the other appeal is underway. In other words, Melvin's penalty could ultimately stretch out over a longer time.
Melvin, 57, is a former state Supreme Court judge who was sentenced in May on campaign-related corruption charges.
Allegheny County Judge Lester Nauhaus is angry because Melvin's attorneys sought to delay only part of her sentence -- that she send autographed pictures of herself in handcuffs to other judges.
Nauhaus said Melvin must either serve her entire sentence or none of it during the appeal.
WPXI
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