Vincent Joseph Fumo (born May 8, 1943) is a former politician, lawyer and businessman from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A Democrat, he represented a South Philadelphia district in the Pennsylvania Senate from 1978 to 2008. On March 16, 2009, he was convicted of 137 federal corruption charges. On July 14, 2009, he was sentenced to 55 months in federal prison. Early life and education Fumo holds a B.S. from Villanova University ('64), a law degree from Temple University School of Law ('72) and an MBA ('84) from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He served on the board of trustees of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, a museum dedicated to the U.S. Constitution. Career In 1974, Fumo, along with three associates, was the target of a 44 count indictment for mail fraud. The four men, who included the Majority Leader of the State Senate, the head of the Democratic City Executive Committee, and the Chief Clerk of the State House were accused of helping convicted Senator Cianfrani, add 33 ghost employees to the state payroll. At the time, Fumo was an assistant to Peter Camiel in charge of patronage. In 1978, Fumo was convicted by a jury of 15 counts. However, a federal judge overturned the conviction in 1981 after motions by the defense to acquit. Politics Fumo represented South Philadelphia's 1st Senatorial District beginning in 1978 when he succeeded Buddy Cianfrani, who had been convicted of racketeering, bribery and obstruction of justice. A powerful State Senator, the Pennsylvania Report said that "[i]t is difficult to catalog and characterize all of his tie-ins and tentacles at all levels of government, but having him on your side in a pitched battle rattles opponents." In 2002, the political website PoliticsPA named him to the list of "Smartest Legislators," calling him "[a]rguably the smartest legislator in Harrisburg." Fumo was the ranking Democratic Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee until his federal indictment in February 2007. He also served on the Communications & Technology, Consumer Protection, Game & Fisheries, Rules, & Urban Affairs & Housing Committees. Business In addition to his State Senate work, Fumo is associated with the Philadelphia Law firm of Dilworth Paxson LLP. He was the Chairman of First Penn Bank. The bank was founded as Pennsylvania Savings Bank, by his grandfather. Fumo took over control after his father was convicted of bank fraud in 1976. The bank grew rapidly