07. The Treasurer (Budd Dwyer)

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Terms apply.

And so so it was in a kind of insular

world that we lived, and one that had an unabashed patriotism, an unabashed sense of the hackles on the back of your neck would raise.

You know, you just get caught up in the feeling of somebody reading the Gettysburg Address with particular sensitivity.

or listening to the national anthem or any number of things that go that way.

It was against that background then that things got to be just a little bit different when we got the news that Paul Powell had died.

Paul Powell was found dead in a hotel room in Rochester, Minnesota on October 11th, 1970.

He was 68 years old, a widower, and the Illinois Secretary of State at the time.

He had traveled to Minnesota with his girlfriend to receive treatment from the Mayo Clinic for a heart ailment.

When word of Powell's death reached Illinois, his fellow Democrats and Republican adversaries eulogized their fallen colleague and reflected on his lifelong career and public service.

Chicago Mayor Richard J.

Daley said Paul Powell will be recognized as a major figure in the history of the state.

Lieutenant Governor Paul Simon said Powell has been in the forefront of nearly every battle that has brought help to the helpless and given hope to the young and old.

Admiration for Powell wasn't just confined to the state level either.

Former President Truman served as an honorary pallbearer at his funeral.

Paul Powell was leaving behind quite a legacy.

A legacy that would be forever tarnished less than 48 hours after his death.

Throughout his career, Paul Powell had been quoted as saying, There's only one thing worse than a defeated politician, and that's a broke politician.

And apparently those were words to live by for Mr.

Powell, because the executor of his will, a man named John Rendelman, made a shocking discovery when he went to clear the contents of Powell's apartment after he kicked the bucket.

In the bedroom, in the closet, behind old clothes and empty whiskey cases, sat two leather briefcases, three steel lock boxes, and a shoebox stuffed to the brim with cash.

I almost fainted when I found the money, Rendelman told the Chicago Tribune.

It was in all denominations, but mostly $100 bills.

Also, there were some $1,000 bills.

The cash found in Paul Powell's closet totaled more than $750,000,

and another $50,000, which was discovered later, was removed from his office in the state building by his chief assistant, Nicholas Chaicho.

After all the numbers were tallied, Powell's estate was determined to be worth more than $3 million.

And that's not including the 60,000 shares of stock that he owned in seven different racetracks around Illinois.

$3 million?

This is a man whose salary never exceeded $30,000 a year.

How in the world could a lifelong public servant accumulate such a vast amount of wealth?

A colleague of Powell's, state auditor Michael Howlett, did offer one explanation, albeit pitiful, saying, quote, he must have saved his money when he was young.

Powell's chief assistant, Chaicho, had a different theory and pondered if the money found in the closet might have been left over from the campaign.

And just to make it clear, it's illegal in Illinois and most other states for a politician to convert campaign funds into personal wealth for any reason.

And that includes stuffing it into shoeboxes and suitcases to hide in your closet for safekeeping.

Those closest to Paul Powell knew the truth.

And one of those people, someone who interacted with Powell almost every day, was his chauffeur named Emil Saccaro.

Emil said that he would sometimes see entire rooms of Powell's apartment filled with gifts from floor to ceiling.

He never refused anything, the chauffeur told a Tribune reporter.

Not even a broken pen and pencil set.

He was a lonely man with no true friends.

End quote.

Okay, then.

I'm sure he misses you too, Emil.

As word of the mysterious cash and suspicious post-mortem activity by Powell's staff trickled into the public's consciousness, a proper investigation was demanded.

In front of a grand jury, Powell's purchasing agent, James White, who was given immunity to testify, described in detail instances when he would relay messages from his boss to hopeful contractors looking to win jobs with the state.

The old man wants more money, White would tell them, and they would pay up, and Paul Powell would open the lid to the shoebox in his closet and add to the pile.

White confessed that he had collected over $40,000 in bribes for Powell just nine days before his death.

James White's testimony revealed that cash was flowing in from every source imaginable.

Lobbyists, fundraisers, bribes, finders' fees, and kickbacks.

The fees from Illinois drivers who renewed their driver's licenses were deposited in the Pow's personal account.

The checks were made out in his name, after all.

Paul Powell even pocketed over $20,000 worth of change from the 18 vending machines located in the state building in the five years that he was in office.

As a result of the hearings, the dishonest contractors were charged with bribing a public official and went to prison.

The state of Illinois sued Powell's estate and was awarded almost $223,000.

The IRS claimed $1.7 million in unpaid taxes, and Powell's girlfriend was left with $15,000 and the racetrack stock, which was worth about half a million dollars.

What was left of his estate was distributed among Democratic County organizations throughout Illinois because Paul Powell, whose tombstone reads, Here Lies a Lifelong Democrat, was still loyal to his party even in the afterlife.

It always feels a bit tragic to watch a guilty man evade the cold hands of justice by retreating into the impervious embrace of death, getting over one last time with zero consequence.

It's even more tragic to watch an innocent man retreat to the same place after being convicted of a crime that he did not commit.

A politician accused of bribery refuses to be locked away and forgotten at the hands of a justice system that betrayed him.

This is the story of Bud Dwyer on this episode of Swindled.

They bribed government officials by accounting for clear violations of the pays they law and earlier than a half-life.

They pay to billions of taxpayer

Dummied up its books and records.

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Another political commercial.

Just once I'd like to hear the facts.

That's the trouble with this campaign.

Nobody's talking about the facts.

These are the facts.

As your state treasurer, I've made your tax dollars work harder and earn more interest than ever before.

And I've fought to protect the lottery fund for our senior citizens.

And through new investments of the state's money, I've worked to bring jobs to Pennsylvania.

Bud Dwyer is running on his record.

Let El Benedict run on his.

Bud Dwyer had never lost an election.

Actually, he had never really lost anything ever in his entire life, dating back to his time as a high school athlete.

It came as no surprise to anyone who knew him when in 1964, at 25 years old, Dwyer, running running as a Republican, became the youngest member ever elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, vacating his position as a high school social studies teacher in his hometown of Meadville.

Budd was re-elected twice as a representative before deciding to run for a state Senate seat in 1970, which he won with ease.

After serving two and a half terms as a senator, Dwyer then opted to run for the office of Pennsylvania state treasurer, again winning in a landslide.

Bud Dwyer performed the duties of state treasurer exceptionally well.

He modernized the entire department by streamlining processes and overhauling antiquated record-keeping systems.

He took personal pride in investing the state's money skillfully and bringing jobs back home to his fellow Pennsylvanians.

Even though many politicians on both sides of the aisle regarded Bud Dwyer as the best treasurer in the history of the state, getting re-elected for the position in 1984 seemed like it was going to be an uphill battle.

Dwyer had become embroiled in a public feud with the governor of Pennsylvania, Richard Thornberg, who was also a Republican and had once been a political ally.

The feud began when Thornberg's wife Guinea had accompanied her husband on a trade mission trip to Germany and England.

Upon the return to Pennsylvania, the cost of Guinea's airfare was submitted to the treasurer's office for reimbursement.

Dwyer, as honest and by the book as a person can be, refused to bill the taxpayers for the First Lady's $1,680 in travel expenses, and he sent the plane ticket back to the governor's office with a reminder that state policy does not allow reimbursement for official spouses.

Details of the dispute were leaked anonymously to the local press, who soon contacted both parties seeking comment.

Dwyer stood his ground because for him, it was nothing personal.

It wasn't even politics.

He was just doing what was lawful and what was right.

None of that mattered to Governor Thornberg, who chose to take it personally.

The governor's office had maintained that the travel voucher had been sent to the treasurer's office by mistake, and that the first lady had always intended to pay her own way.

But what infuriated Thornberg was that the issue had been made public and was being covered by the media.

He blamed Dwyer for the leaks and labeled his conduct as extremely unfair and not becoming of a high-state official.

Was I embarrassed?

No, I was angry, Thornberg told a reporter.

I'm used to shabby treatment by publicity-seeking politicians and the press, but I deeply resent cheap shots at my wife.

The conflict escalated when the media received word that Pennsylvania state troopers had been tasked with transporting two of Thornberg's children to an out-of-state school in Massachusetts.

The governor's office maintained that it was standard security protocol, but the state police denied that reasoning because the officers involved involved never remained on campus throughout the day.

They were merely dropping the kids off at school and leaving like a taxi or a school bus.

Bud Dwyer did publicly criticize the governor for Shafurgate as it became known, and he demanded that Thornberg repay the police department for all of the expenses incurred.

But that was the extent of his involvement.

The scandal did not originate with Bud Dwyer, but that did not keep Thornberg from blaming him for it.

Although the governor had lost faith in Bud Dwyer, the people of Pennsylvania apparently had not.

And on November 4th, 1984, Dwyer was re-elected as state treasurer of Pennsylvania by a margin of 300,000 votes.

Repeat after me, I are Bud Dwyer.

I are Bud Dwyer.

Do solemnly swear

that I will support, obey, and defend,

obey, and defend.

The Constitution of the United States.

The Constitution of the United

and the Constitution of this Commonwealth

and that I will discharge the duties of my office with fidelity and that I will discharge the duties of my office with fidelity.

Congratulations.

Most of Bud's colleagues were thrilled to have him back in office, even Governor Thornberg, at least in public anyway.

I know I speak for everyone here present today

in welcoming you back for your second term, bud, and in extending to you and your family all the very best in your duties as state treasurer of this great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Thank you.

But behind closed doors, Thornberg was still holding a grudge, and he reportedly told a colleague,

I'm going to get that fat son of a bitch if it's the last thing I do.

Towards the end of Bud Dwyer's first term as treasurer, before he was re-elected, it was discovered that the state of Pennsylvania had erroneously overpaid FICA taxes by $40 million.

FICA taxes are collected by an employer on behalf of its employees and then transferred to the federal government to fund programs such as Social Security and Medicare.

Turns out, for a short period of time, the state government in Pennsylvania had withheld too much from its employees' paychecks for this purpose and would be required to refund the excess.

In order to determine the amount of compensation due to each state employee, the government planned to hire an outside accounting firm to perform the work.

The contract would be put out for bid, as is the case for most outsourced work involving governments.

and it would be awarded to the vendor who proved to be the most cost-effective.

Thousands of accounting firms submitted a bid for the project, including some who had experience in tax overpayment situations exactly like this one.

But on May 10, 1984, the $4.6 million contract was awarded to a company named CTA, or Computer Technology Associates, a company whose workforce consisted of only three employees.

But that's not the only reason the contract raised eyebrows.

CTA was owned by John Torquato Jr.

Torquato lived in California, but he was a Pennsylvania native.

He was known for being a liar, a thief, and an alcoholic who came from a family that consisted of liars, thieves, and alcoholics.

It was reported that Torquato had ties to the mafia and almost half a million dollars stashed in a Swiss bank account, and he was no stranger to the art of graft, especially involving politicians.

Female employees at CTA claimed that Torquado encouraged them to perform sexual favors for prospective clients in order to win their business.

Yet, after all due diligence, this is the man that the state of Pennsylvania thought would be best suited to handle the major tax refund due to its employees.

In the state's defense, not all of the red flags surrounding Torquato and his company were public knowledge at the time, but some of them definitely were.

Furthermore, CTA wasn't even the cheapest nor fastest option for the job.

A few months after the contract was awarded, an anonymous memo was sent to Governor Thornberg that outlined some of those concerns and ultimately alleged that CTA was awarded the contract because Torquato had bribed the officials in charge of the bidding process.

A federal investigation was launched, and the contract was terminated before any work had commenced and before any money had exchanged hands.

And the home of John Torquato was raided by the FBI, where investigators seized computer tapes that produced some very incriminating evidence.

The corporate records were stored on computer tapes.

When the FBI seized the discs, took them to Quantico, they were able to duplicate the programs in the computer, and they were able to really reproduce the evidence showing who was slated to receive bribes.

The documents recovered by the FBI implicated at least four high-ranking Pennsylvania officials in the bribery scheme: Attorney General Leroy Zimmerman, State Senator John Shoemaker, the head of the the Republican State Committee, Robert Asher, and State Treasurer, Bud Dwyer.

In the documents found on Torquato's computer, Dwyer was listed as our guy in quotes.

Even more damning, recent bills adopted by the Pennsylvania State Senate authorized the state treasurer to recover the tax overpayments.

In other words, Bud Dwyer was personally responsible for all matters relating to the awarding of the FICA recovery contract.

Caught red-handed, John Torquato Jr.

confirmed the investigator's suspicions.

He explained how he enlisted an attorney named William Trickett Smith, who had connections to the Pennsylvania state government, to help rig the bidding for the FICA recovery contract.

Smith claimed that he and Torquato met with Bud Dwyer on multiple occasions in an attempt to influence the bidding process.

Smith recounted walking into Bud Dwyer's office one day and presenting a contribution of $300,000, which would be split among Dwyer, Dwyer's campaign, and the Republican State Committee headed by Bob Asher.

According to Smith, Bud Dwyer accepted the offer by saying, quote, sounds pretty good to me.

Charges were filed against Torquato, his attorney William Trickett Smith, Robert Asher, and Bud Dwyer.

Attorney General Zimmerman and State Senator John Shoemaker were not indicted.

John Torquato Jr.

stood trial, but eventually pleaded guilty and received a sentence of four years in prison after agreeing to testify against Asher and Dwyer.

William Trigitt Smith stood trial and accepted a plea deal in exchange for his testimony as well, and was sentenced to three and a half years behind bars.

Federal prosecutors offered plea bargains to Bud Dwyer and Robert Asher that required pleading guilty to a single count of bribery and immediate resignations from their positions in exchange for a reduced prison sentence of five years.

Both men refused the offer and denied any wrongdoing.

Dwyer, in particular, was enraged by the allegations and decided it was in his best interest to stand trial.

Bud Dwyer was a principled man and he did not want to admit guilt for something that he did not do.

That is not true at all.

I categorically deny the allegation that a $300,000 kickback was involved with a Computer Technology Associate's FICA recovery contract.

Bud Dwyer was confident that the truth would come out in court.

He had an unyielding faith in the country that allowed him to achieve his dreams.

Bud Dwyer had an unyielding faith in the American justice system where truth reigns supreme.

Bud Dwyer was in for Rude Awakening.

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Bud Dwyer and Robert Asher were tried together in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, a small mountain town in the northern part of the state.

situated away from the inner workings of government and politics.

The federal prosecutor in Dwyer and Asher's trial was a man named James West, or Jimmy the Weasel, depending on who you talk to.

West was an ambitious lawyer with a history in Pennsylvania politics, a history that many, including Dwyer, have suggested may have expanded his role in the case from typical prosecutor to vengeful lackey fulfilling a personal vendetta for a friend.

You see, James West was the former assistant of Governor Dick Thornburg, the same governor that was involved in a public dispute with Bud Dwyer earlier that year.

Neither Asher nor Dwyer testified at their own trial.

They didn't feel like it was needed because the prosecution's key witnesses lacked credibility.

John Torquato was, well, John Torquato.

No one believes a word he says.

And William Trickett Smith, once a respected lawyer, offered a different version of events than what he had described at his own trial, where when he was asked if Dwyer had accepted the bribe, Smith said he had not.

But a few months later, while testifying for the prosecution at Dwyer and Asher's trial, he answered yes to that same question.

A blatant inconsistency.

Something just wasn't adding up.

Dwyer and Asher's defense could sense it.

James West and the judge could sense it.

And hopefully, the jury would sense it as well.

After deliberating for more than 20 hours, spanning four days, the jury emerged from the room with a verdict in hand.

Bud Dwyer and Robert Asher were found guilty of 11 counts of conspiracy, mail fraud, perjury, and interstate transportation in aid of racketeering.

The federal conviction last night of state treasurer R.

Bud Dwyer of Meadville and former state Republican chairman Robert Asher was the talk of the state today.

Both men were found guilty of all federal criminal counts related to a bribery conspiracy scheme with a California computer company which sought a state contract.

Many in Pennsylvania were in disbelief at what had become of Bud Dwyer.

The modest, honorable, hard-working man who was loved by voters all over the state, would now be remembered as the highest-ranking Pennsylvania state official to be convicted of a crime while occupying an elected position.

I was very surprised and sorry because I knew him as a young man and

I don't think he did it.

I can't even think of him as being guilty, period.

I always had visions of Bud being our governor one day.

While some watched the verdicts in dismay, others celebrated.

For prosecutor James West, the case was a major victory.

Reaction to the verdict, I think we were very pleased.

The jury did a very conscientious job.

It was a very hardworking jury.

I think they approached the indictment in a very systematic manner and went through it, and we were certainly pleased with the results of their work.

The jury may have done a good job according to James West, but according to certain members of the jury, it was not an easy job.

Was it a difficult verdict, man?

Very hardest thing I ever did in my life.

Some jurors walked out of federal court with tears in their eyes.

No one, it seems, wanted to find state treasurer Bud Dwyer or former state GOP chief Robert Asher, both family men, guilty of accepting a bribe offer.

The evidence forced them to.

Well, we use both Smith's testimony and circumstantial evidence.

Bud Dwyer was completely blindsided by the verdict.

He thought for certain that the jury would see through the thinly veiled witch hunt aimed at him.

He was dumbfounded that such a miscarriage of justice could happen in America.

This is a sad and shocking day for me, totally unbelievable.

I'm totally innocent of all of these charges, and I don't know how this could happen.

Bud Dwyer's Dwyer's sentencing was scheduled for January 23rd, 1987.

He faced up to 55 years in prison and a $300,000 fine.

And he fully expected to receive the maximum punishment allowed because Judge Muir, who was overseeing the case, had a history of imposing what Dwyer called medieval sentences.

When the verdicts were handed down, Judge Muir told the press he felt invigorated and that he planned to make an example of Bud as a deterrent to other public officials.

Dwyer would be forced to resign from office, he would be forced to forfeit the pension he had earned from his two decades working in public service, and he knew it was likely that his life would end in a prison cell.

Desperate for help, Dwyer phoned his old friend, Senator Arlen Specter, and pleaded for assistance.

He asked the senator about the possibility of receiving a pardon from President Reagan, and Specter informed Bud that a presidential pardon was not a realistic possibility at that point in time.

At least not until the entire process had run its course.

Appeals and all.

Appeals which would likely take years to complete.

Appeals that Dwyer felt he had very little chance at winning.

Appeals that Dwyer could no longer afford, quite frankly.

He had spent his entire life savings defending himself.

The cost of the trial, which lasted for six weeks, reportedly exceeded $200,000.

Bud and his wife had already made plans to sell the family's home to recoup some of the costs of the original trial.

Appeals?

There would be no appeals.

As his sentencing date approached, Bud Dwyer became somewhat of a recluse.

He remained in his house for weeks, with the shades drawn, sitting in his favorite recliner.

Friends and family would stop by occasionally to provide well wishes, and Bud would greet them in a friendly manner, but he rarely ventured outside.

Eventually, Bud invited his press secretary, James Horshock, and the deputy treasurer, Don Johnson, to his home and discussed scheduling a press conference on the day before his sentencing hearing.

He didn't provide much detail about his planned statement, but Horshock and Johnson assumed that Dwyer would make a final declaration of innocence and resign from his position as treasurer.

Snow was falling heavily on the morning of January 22nd, 1987.

Bud Dwyer straightened his tie, closed his briefcase, and called out to his son Rob, who had agreed to drop him off at the office before heading to college for the day.

Not much was said between the two during the drive, but when Rob's car came to a stop in front of the state building, Bud turned to his son, gave him a kiss, and told him to go straight home after class.

Once inside, Dwyer read over his notes while members of the press assembled their equipment.

He was noticeably nervous.

Maybe he was thinking about his family and how they would fare without him.

Or maybe it was because he knew that when the day ended, he would be sleeping in his own bed for the last time.

As expected, Bud began the press conference by stressing his innocence before turning to his prepared statement, which was a 21-page diatribe against the criminal justice system and those who had wronged him.

Dwyer singled out former Governor Thornberg for being the man behind his downfall, and he pointed to Jim West for doing the governor's bidding.

He lashed out at the news media for influencing public opinion before he had even stood trial.

And he even used the opportunity to publicly change his stance on the death penalty.

I would also urge you and your media employers to work for the repeal of the death penalty, unless the test would be absolutely no doubt.

I regret that on several occasions when I was a member of the legislature that I voted for the death penalty.

As a result of what has happened to me, in this case, I am convinced that innocent people have been found guilty and have been executed.

Dwyer's entire speech lasted nearly 30 minutes.

Some members of the press began packing up their equipment halfway into it, which caught Bud's attention, who assured them, quote, those of you who are putting your cameras away, I think you ought to stay because we're not, we're not finished yet.

Dwyer continued and thanked the voters of Pennsylvania for their years of support.

And as he reached the end of his speech, his face was red and he was sweating.

And I'm on the last page now, and I don't have enough to pass out, but Duke, I'll leave this here, and you can make copies for the people.

There's a few extra copies here right now.

I thank the good Lord for giving me 47 years of exciting challenges, stimulating experiences, many happy occasions, and most of all, the finest wife and children any man could ever desire.

Now my life has changed for no apparent reason.

People who call and write are exasperated and feel helpless.

They know I'm innocent and want to help.

But in this nation, the world's greatest democracy, there is nothing they can do to prevent me from being punished for a crime they know I did not commit.

Some who have called have said I am a modern-day Job.

Judge Muir is also noted for his medieval sentences.

I face a maximum sentence of 55 years in prison and a $300,000 fine for being innocent.

Judge Muir has already told the press that he, quote, felt invigorated when we were found guilty, and he plans to imprison me as a deterrent to other public officials.

But it wouldn't be a deterrent because every public official who knows me knows that I am innocent.

It wouldn't be a legitimate punishment because I've done nothing wrong.

Since I'm a victim of political political persecution, my prison would simply be an American gulag.

I ask those that believe in me to continue to extend friendship and prayer to my family, to work untiringly for the creation of a true justice system here in the United States, and to press on with the efforts to vindicate me so that my family and their future families are not tainted by this injustice that has been perpetrated on me.

We were confident that right and truth would prevail, and I would be acquitted, and we would devote the rest of our lives working to create a justice system here in the United States.

The guilty verdict has strengthened that resolve.

But as we've discussed our plans to expose the warts of our legal system, people have said, why bother?

No one cares.

You'll look foolish.

60 Minutes 2020, the American Civil Liberties Union, Jack Anderson, and others have been publicizing cases like yours for years, and it doesn't bother anyone.

Before he finishes the last page, Dwyer stops reading from his manuscript and surveys the room for his aides.

He requests three men to the stage and hands each one of them a sealed envelope with verbal instructions to deliver them to his wife and children.

Dwyer then pulls a yellow envelope from the podium, opens it, reaches inside, and pulls out a large 357 Magnum revolver.

The crowd begins to panic.

Some of them duck for cover.

Others approach him cautiously, hoping to prevent whatever it is he plans to do with the gun.

As the walls close in on him and the onlookers plead with him, Dwyer takes one last look around the room, puts the barrel in his mouth, and pulls the trigger.

Don't panic.

Someone call

someone call the ambulance and a doctor and the police.

Bud Dwyer died instantly, in front of his staff, in front of horrified members of the press, in front of television cameras.

And contrary to popular belief, his suicide was not broadcast on live television.

Most news stations in the area chose to air highlights of the speech without the ultimate finale,

but other stations decided to broadcast the footage in its entirety, including a close-up of Dwyer's lifeless body, blood pouring out of his nose.

Almost everyone in the Pennsylvania area witnessed the gory details of a man killing himself on TV, including children who had been given the day off from school because of the snow.

The sun shone brightly on the city of Meadville today as hundreds of friends, relatives, acquaintances, and colleagues of Bud Dwyer's filed into the Robert Wade funeral home to pay their respects.

Robert Asher, the man who was convicted alongside Bud Dwyer, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison and a $205,000 fine.

Judge Muir was apparently so impressed with the 100-plus letters he received in support of Asher that he decided to reduce his sentence.

William Trickett Smith, the lawyer whose fabrications led to Dwyer's conviction, has expressed regret in his role.

Smith claims that it was the only way to spare his wife, who had traveled with him to meetings during those years, from being prosecuted alongside with him.

He also claims that Torquato threatened to kill his son if he didn't stick to the script.

In the end, Smith served three and a half years in prison, and his wife moved another man into his home less than a year into his sentence.

William Smith came out of jail a different man and he would eventually return to prison decades later in 2010 for ripping off $73,000 from the elderly clients of his law firm.

and burning down the guesthouse behind his home that contained the evidence.

In between court dates, he found even more trouble for himself when he tried and failed to help his son escape from jail on more than one occasion.

His son, William Trickett Smith Jr.

was serving time for murdering his wife, Claudia Gomez, in 2007, the same year that he had flown to Peru and married her.

Her body was found stuffed into a suitcase that had washed ashore the Peruvian coast near Lima.

William Trickett Smith Jr.

was eventually extradited to Peru and will be incarcerated incarcerated for the next 35 years.

Smith Sr.

was released from prison in 2015.

A year and a half after Bud's death, the Dwyer family relocated to Tempe, Arizona.

Brob and his sister Diane helped their mother Joanne settle into her new life alone.

She bought a dog for companionship.

She learned how to pay bills on her own for the first time, and she opened a bookstore that specialized in books about addiction and trauma, two topics in which she was intensely familiar.

Joanne never really got over her husband's death, and she batted alcoholism until she died of cancer in 2009.

To this day, Bud's son Rob claims to have never seen the video of his father's public suicide, and he never will.

Rob knows that the man in the video is not his father.

That was someone else.

That was someone at the end of the rope.

A man with nowhere else to go.

A man whose country had betrayed him and a man who was securing his family's future.

By killing himself while still technically serving as the state treasurer of Pennsylvania, Bud Dwyer died in office, which meant his state-provided pension could not be voided.

And the Dwyer family were able to collect survivor benefits, which totaled $1.3 million.

At the time, it was the largest pension ever paid out by the state of Pennsylvania.

One last parting gift to the family that loved him, and one last fuck you to the government that wronged him.

I've said many, many times since November 4th, only in America.

In response to congratulations I've received from people,

I mean by that that only in America could a kid from Blooming Valley, and that was the nearest town to which I lived, without affluence, without a political base, without a political legacy, be elected to a statewide office in the fourth largest state in this great nation of ours, a state of almost 12 million people.

And I think all of us can be just so grateful because if it can happen to me, it can happen to many more like me and like you.

And I think we should all be grateful that it's only in America.

Swindled is written, researched, produced, and hosted by me, a concerned citizen.

For more information about the show, check out swindledpodcast.com or find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at swindled podcasts.

We would love to hear from you.

Also, if you want to support the show, visit patreon.com slash swindled.

For a few bucks a month, you'll receive early access to new episodes and exclusive access to bonus episodes, such as The Promotion, which tells the story of how one man rigged the McDonald's Monopoly game for years, and another called The Reef, about an artificial reef off the coast of Florida made entirely of used tires.

And it does not go well.

And we just posted a new bonus episode called The Mortician, and it's, well, I won't spoil it for you.

Go check it out.

Patreon.com/slash swindled.

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