R. Budd Dwyer

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Robert Budd Dwyer (November 21, 1939 – January 22, 1987) was an American politician who served as the 70th treasurer of Pennsylvania from 1981 until his suicide in 1987. A member of the Republican Party, he also served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the Pennsylvania State Senate from 1971 to 1981, representing the state's 50th district. While serving as state treasurer in 1984, Dwyer awarded a $4.6 million contract to data processing company Computer Technology Associates (CTA) to help compensate Pennsylvania employees who overpaid federal taxes because of errors in state withholding. An investigation determined Dwyer accepted a bribe to give CTA the contract over more experienced and less expensive competitors, which would have resulted in Pennsylvania losing $6 million if the scheme was successful. He was found guilty in December 1986 on 11 counts of conspiracy, mail fraud, perjury, and interstate transportation in aid of racketeering, which carried a maximum sentence...

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