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Barbara Hafer, Former PA Treasurer, Indicted

Paul Vathis
/
AP

  Former Pennsylvania Treasurer Barbara Hafer was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury.

This makes her the third state treasurer to face federal charges in three decades.

Hafer is accused on two counts of making false statements to FBI and IRS agents during a corruption investigation in May.

She was allegedly concealing $500,000 in consulting fees paid to her by companies that did business with the Treasury Department while Hafer was in office. 

She’s accused of secretly taking the money from someone referred to only as “Person Number 1” in the indictment. 

But the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that person is Republican businessman Richard Ireland of Chester County.

Ireland was indicted for fraud the same day, for allegedly trying to bribe another indicted former state treasurer, Rob McCord.

Ireland also served as one of Hafer’s biggest campaign contributors.

Hafer’s attorney could not be reached for comment, nor could a representative from the Justice Department.

Along with her position as state treasurer, the 72-year-old Hafer has served on the Allegheny County Board of Commissioners and as Auditor General of Pennsylvania.

She was also the Republican nominee for governor in 1990, but lost the election.