Tricia Mezzacappa, Republican candidate for Councilperson in West Easton is due in court on August 4th. Mezzacappa will be listed on the West Easton general election ballot for both a 4-year seat and the 2-year seat.
Mezzacappa faces trial for defrauding a secured creditor.
The charge against Mezzacappa stems from having been found guilty of defaming a local political blogger, Bernie O’Hare.
O’Hare was awarded $67,000 in damages and began proceedings to collect on his award. He successfully placed a lien on Mezzacappa’s vehicle, which would then be used to offset monies owed to O’Hare’s award.
Mezzacappa, the complaint alleges, failed turn over the vehicle to the Sheriff as directed and placed the vehicle in hiding.
O’Hare, who obtained ownership of the vehicle finally gained possession of it a few months later, when a Sheriff saw Mezzacappa driving it and subsequently took control of it.
A recent post on his blog, Lehigh Valley Ramblings, reports that Mezzacappa’s appeal of the defamation verdict failed and O’Hare’s original award of $67,140 was affirmed by The Pennsylvania Superior Court.
O’Hare says he has been informed that Mezzacappa has applied for ARD, a special program for first offenders in which charges are dismissed after a period of probation. To be eligible for this program, the applicant must admit responsibility, though it is not considered a guilty plea.
He went on to say that he would not oppose Mezzacappa’s ARD application.
O’Hare will continue to pursue another matter. His claim of a fraudulent conveyance of Tricia Mezzacappa’s home to her mother, which occurred immediately following the defamation judgment against her.
Note: I sent Ms. Mezzacappa an email with the opportunity to respond before publishing this story.
“I doubt my two lawyers would appreciate me making anymore comments at this time, especially about the misdemeanor,” she wrote me.
She further replied that the matter of the home conveyance is also being defended and the conveyance was not done as a result of the O’Hare lawsuit. She provided me a copy of the defense filing, which can be viewed by clicking the link below.
ANSWER AND AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSES-1
UPDATE 8/3/15 – Mezzacappa’s attorney has petitioned the court for ARD. A continuance was granted today, during which time it will be determined if her application for the program will be accepted.
Disclosure Statement: I am running for the 2-year seat on West Easton Council on the Democrat ticket. Tricia Mezzacappa is my opponent in the upcoming election for that seat. Therefore, I will only state the facts that are public record, or information published from other sources, which will be identified.
Disclaimer: On January 4, 2016, the owner of WestEastonPA.com began serving on the West Easton Council following an election. Postings and all content found on this website are the opinions of Matthew A. Dees and may not necessarily represent the opinion of the governing body for The Borough of West Easton.
