Ray Musto

{{Infobox officeholder

| smallimage = Ray Musto circa 1980.jpg

| name = Raphael Musto

| caption =

| state_house3 = Pennsylvania

| district3 = 118th

| term_start3 = January 5, 1971

| term_end3 = April 15, 1980{{cite web | last = Cox | first = Harold | title = Pennsylvania House of Representatives - 1979-1980| publisher = Wilkes University | work = Wilkes University Election Statistics Project| date = November 3, 2004| url = http://staffweb.wilkes.edu/harold.cox/legis/163H.pdf}}

| predecessor3 = James Musto

| successor3 = Thomas Tigue

| state2 = Pennsylvania

| district2 = 11th

| term_start2 = April 9, 1980

| term_end2 = January 3, 1981

| predecessor2 = Daniel J. Flood

| successor2 = James Nelligan

| state_senate = Pennsylvania

| district = 14th

| term_start = January 4, 1983

| term_end = November 30, 2010

| predecessor = Martin Murray

| successor = John Yudichak

| party = Democratic

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1929|3|30|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Pittston, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2014|4|24|1929|3|30|mf=y}}

| death_place = Pittston, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| alma_mater =

| occupation =

| spouse = Frances Panzetta Musto

| residence = Pittston, Pennsylvania

| religion =

| website =

}}

Raphael John Musto (March 30, 1929 – April 24, 2014) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Democratic Party member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district from 1980 to 1981. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 118th district from 1971 to 1980 and of the Pennsylvania Senate for the 14th district from 1982 until his retirement in 2010.

Early life and education

Musto was born in Pittston, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Pittston Township High School. He served in the United States Army from 1951 to 1953 during the Korean War.{{cite web |title=Senator Raphael J. Musto Obituary |url=https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/timesleader/obituary.aspx?n=senator-raphael-j-musto&pid=170795666&fhid=29480 |website=www.legacy.com |accessdate=27 May 2019}} He graduated from Kings College in Wilkes-Barre in 1971.{{cite web |title=Pennsylvania State Senate - Raphael John Musto |url=https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/BiosHistory/MemBio.cfm?ID=5282&body=S |website=www.legis.state.pa.us |accessdate=27 May 2019}}

Career

When his father, longtime State Representative James Musto, died in 1971, the younger Musto won a special election to fill his seat. He was elected to a full term in 1972 and was reelected three times.

In 1980, longtime Congressman Dan Flood, who had represented {{ushr|Pennsylvania|11}} for most of the time since 1945, resigned after being censured for bribery. Musto won a four-way special election for the remainder of Flood's term. He ran for a full term later that year, but was narrowly defeated by Republican challenger James Nelligan, whom Musto had defeated in the special election.

While in Congress, Musto met with undercover FBI agents posing as representatives of a fictitious Middle Eastern Sheik known as the ABSCAM sting operation. Musto declined an implied bribe from the FBI agents and was never charged in the investigation.{{cite web |title=ABSCAM couldn't nail Musto |url=https://www.timesleader.com/archive/285405/news-news-1052822-abscam-couldnt-nail-musto |website=www.timesleader.com |accessdate=27 May 2019|date=2015-06-23 }}

Musto was elected to the state Senate in 1982 and was reelected six times, representing a district consisting of Wilkes-Barre and portions of the Poconos. He did not seek re-election in 2010, choosing instead to retire at the end of his term.{{Cite news| last = O'Boyle| first = Bill| title = A final bow for 2 area legislative titans| newspaper = Times Leader| date = November 18, 2010| url = http://www.timesleader.com/news/A_final_bow_for_2_area_legislative_titans_11-17-2010.html| url-status = dead| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20101121051804/http://www.timesleader.com/news/A_final_bow_for_2_area_legislative_titans_11-17-2010.html| archivedate = November 21, 2010}}

On November 23, 2010, a federal grand jury issued a six-count indictment against Musto, charging him with accepting more than $28,000 from an unnamed company and individual in exchange for his help in obtaining grants and funding. Musto was also charged with accepting $3,000 from another unnamed individual in a separate incident.{{Cite news| last = Morgan-Besecker| first = Terrie| title = Grand jury indicts Sen. Raphael Musto for allegedly accepting kickbacks| newspaper = Times Leader| date = November 23, 2010| url = http://www.timesleader.com/news/Federal-grand-jury-issues-indictment-against-Sen-Raphael-Musto.html| url-status = dead| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20101124173808/http://www.timesleader.com/news/Federal-grand-jury-issues-indictment-against-Sen-Raphael-Musto.html| archivedate = November 24, 2010}} Musto denied any wrongdoing.{{Cite news | last = Mocarsky | first = Steve | title = Musto denies any wrongdoing | date = November 23, 2010 | url = http://www.timesleader.com/news/Musto-denies-any-wrongdoing.html | newspaper = Times Leader | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20101124174212/http://www.timesleader.com/news/Musto-denies-any-wrongdoing.html | archivedate = November 24, 2010 }} The trial was delayed multiple times due to Musto's declining health.

Musto was released from a federal medical prison in North Carolina in April 2014. He had been declared mentally unfit to stand trial and was diagnosed with advanced stage lymph-node cancer while being treated at the prison.{{cite web |title=Ex-state Sen. Raphael Musto, 85, dies not long after being released from prison for medical reasons |url=https://www.pennlive.com/midstate/2014/04/ex-state_sen_raphael_musto_die.html |website=www.pennlive.com |accessdate=27 May 2019|date=2014-04-24 }} He died at his home in Pittston on April 24.{{cite news |url=http://timesleader.com/news/local-news-news/1349231/Musto-dead-at-85 |title=Musto dead at 85 |newspaper=Times Leader |date=April 24, 2014 |accessdate=April 24, 2014 |last=DuPuis |first=Roger |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424211021/http://timesleader.com/news/local-news-news/1349231/Musto-dead-at-85 |archivedate=April 24, 2014 }}

The criminal case against him was dismissed posthumously on April 30, 2014, by Federal Judge A. Richard Caputo.

References

External links

Follow the Money - Raphael J. Musto
[http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=88439 2006] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=74495 2004] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=6686 2002] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=49179 2000] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=1390 1998] campaign contributions

{{US House succession box

|state = Pennsylvania

|district = 11

|before = Daniel J. Flood

|after = James L. Nelligan

|years = 1980–1981

}}

{{USCongRep-start|congresses= 96th United States Congresses |state=Pennsylvania}}

Category:1929 births

Category:2014 deaths

Category:Abscam

Category:United States Army personnel of the Korean War