Mitchell Rubin is a former chair of the

Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) is an agency created in 1937 to construct, finance, operate, and maintain the Pennsylvania Turnpike (both the mainline and the Northeast Extension). The commission consists of five members. Four membe ...

. He was named to the

in 1998. He was elected chair of the Turnpike Commission in 2003. In 2006, Rubin's firm, CGR Gaming Associates, received a

slot machine A slot machine (American English), fruit machine (British English) or poker machine (Australian English and New Zealand English) is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers. Slot machines are also known pejoratively a ...

suppliers and distributor license from the

Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is a governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, founded in 2004 as the state licensing and the regulatory agency responsible for overseeing slot machines and casino gambling in the state. The ...

. This action was criticized by members of the

Pennsylvania Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...

, with Senate Majority Whip

Jeff Piccola Jeffrey E. Piccola (born May 16, 1948) is an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 15th District from 1995 to 2012 including as Republican Whip from 2001 to 2006. He al ...

saying "Mr. Rubin's position as a public official certainly raises a lot of questions." Other senators expressed concerns that Rubin's wife, Ruth Arnao, is a former staff member for State Senator

Vince Fumo 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 w ...

, who wrote the slots legislation. At the time Rubin's firm received the license, both Arnao and Rubin were under a federal corruption investigation by the Philadelphia-based

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

. In filings submitted by the

during Vince Fumo's corruption trial, Rubin was named as one of Fumo's "ghost employees," saying that he was paid $30,000 annually for five years in exchange for no work. Moments after Arnao and Fumo's conviction on all 139 counts, an

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

agent handed a Rubin a

target letter According to the law of the United States The law of the United States comprises many levels of codified and uncodified forms of law, of which the most important is the nation's Constitution, which prescribes the foundation of the federal g ...

informing him that he was under investigation and that "substantial evidence" was present that linked him to a federal crime. Rubin then took an unpaid leave from the Turnpike Commission while

Ed Rendell Edward Gene Rendell (; born January 5, 1944) is an American lawyer, prosecutor, politician, and author. He served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011, as chair of the national Democratic Party, and as the 96th Mayor of Philade ...

reviewed trial transcripts. The next day, Rendell fired Rubin from the Turnpike Commission, saying that "It is inappropriate for you to remain as a commissioner." Rubin was found guilty of a misdemeanor charge of commercial bribery and sentenced to 24 months probation, 100 hours of community service and fined.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rubin, Mitchell Living people Politicians from Philadelphia Pennsylvania Democrats Pennsylvania politicians convicted of crimes Year of birth missing (living people)