A Congressman on Trial – Part 3

It took a while to assemble the prosecutor, defendant, defense counsel, and various members of the press to hear the jury verdict. When I entered the courtroom and took the bench, the tension was palpable. The jury came in and I instructed Lukens to rise. His lawyers stood with him.

I sent my bailiff to retrieve the verdict form from Juror 5, who had been elected Foreman. She brought it to me.

According to the Los Angeles Times, "Lukens stood still, his hands pressed on the defense table and his mouth slightly open, as Franklin County Domestic Relations Judge Ronald Solove read the verdict."

Guilty of Contributing to the Unruliness of a Minor.

I referred the case to the court's probation department for a pre-sentence investigation, and set the sentencing date for July 1, 1989. A few days later, I got a call from the probation department informing me the Rep. Lukens was refusing to come in for an interview unless his lawyer could come with him. I called defense counsel and told him that I would revoke Luken's bail unless he cooperated, which he then proceeded to do.

Again, from the LA Times: "Lukens' face appeared ashen as Solove sentenced him to the maximum penalty on the misdemeanor charge of contributing to the unruliness of a child--180 days in jail and a fine of $1,000. The judge then suspended all but 30 days of the sentence and $500 of the fine and placed Lukens on probation for one year. The terms of probation require Lukens to participate in sex offender programs and submit to testing for sexually transmitted diseases."

Lukens was released on an appeal bond. The Franklin County Court of Appeals announced its decision on June 12, 1990, determining that there was no error in refusing to admit evidence of Rosie Coffman's juvenile record.

On January 2, 1991, Buz Lukens went to jail. After 9 days, on the petition of his lawyer, I agreed to suspend the balance of his sentence in order for him to participate in residential sex offender treatment in a facility in Washington D.C.

Some postscripts:

Congressman Lukens ran for reelection in 1990; however, he was defeated in the Republican primary by a young politician named John Boehner – now the Speaker of the House.

On October 5, 1990, Rep. Lukens resigned from Congress before his term ended as a result of an accusation that he had fondled a House elevator operator.

In March of 1996, Lukens was convicted of taking $15,000.00 in bribes from the operators of a trade school while he was a congressman. He was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison.

Donald "Buz" Lukens died in May of 2010, at the age of 79. His New York Times obituary is at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/us/25lukens.html?_r=0.

I, by the way, am a Democrat!