Miccarelli leaves state House with benefits intact
Nick Miccarelli will leave the state House today for the last time as a state representative under a cloud of sexual assault and other allegations that have yet to be fully resolved.
The Republican Pennsylvania National Guard veteran served the 162nd District for a decade, handily defeating opponents in five races before announcing he would not seek a sixth term earlier this year.
The announcement came after two former girlfriends accused Miccarelli of mental and physical abuse in a confidential complaint filed with House leadership in February.
Miccarelli, of Ridley Park, has vehemently denied the allegations, though a caucus investigation found the women’s claims “credible” and forwarded information about the complaint on to Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo. A criminal investigation is ongoing.
Miccarelli’s final months in office were inauspicious as he was hounded to resign by fellow legislators, Gov. Tom Wolf and even House leadership, though no official action was ever taken to force him out.
He was also stripped of his standing committee positions after leadership found he had violated a caucus policy prohibiting retaliation when he named one of his accusers in a Facebook post and provided nude photos of her to news outlets.
That woman, a Republican political consultant who formerly dated Miccarelli, told the Daily Times in March that her business was negatively impacted after her name was revealed and she had to live in a hotel out of fear of going home.
She claimed Miccarelli forced her to have sex shortly after she ended the relationship in 2014. The woman said she also believed he had drugged her one night while they were dating and engaged in “non-consensual sexual behavior” while she was unconscious.
The other accuser in the House complaint, state Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-116 of Butler Township, also accused Miccarelli of physically abusing and threatening her during their relationship.
Toohil – who had initially remained confidential – alleged in the complaint that Miccarelli kicked, pinched and hit her while they were dating, including at legislative events they attended together. He also allegedly held her against the wall of her Capitol office by the neck, pointed a gun at her in 2012 and at one point threatened to kill them both by crashing a vehicle while driving at speeds in excess of 100 mph.
Toohil secured a threeyear protection from abuse order against Miccarelli in March, under which he admitted no wrongdoing but was restricted from possessing a firearm during the pendency of the PFA except while on duty with the National Guard.
Miccarelli’s seat on the floor was additionally moved from seat 42 to seat 111, according to Stephen Miskin, a spokesman for House Republican Leadership. Miskin said the move put Miccarelli two sections away from Toohil, who was also assigned a bodyguard to accompany her to meetings and the House floor.
“It’s a bittersweet day for Nick,” said spokesman Frank Keel Thursday. “He will miss being part of the Pennsylvania Legislature and especially being able to serve the many good people of the 162nd District that he knows so well. On the other hand, he’s glad to put the well-orchestrated, media-driven controversy behind him and move into the next chapter of his life. Nick thanks all those legislative colleagues who stood by him through all of it and wishes them well going forward.”
Keel added that Miccarelli has no plans, political or otherwise, that he is willing to announce at this time and is looking forward to spending a quiet holiday season with his family.
While he leaves with his reputation tarnished, Miccarelli does not walk away from his time in the Legislature empty handed. By serving until Nov. 30, he hit a 10-year mark of legislative service that makes him and his family eligible to receive lifetime taxpayerfunded health care benefits, as well as a pension from the State Employees’ Retirement System.
Taxpayers are expected to pay more than $2,000 per month – or $27,671 annually – to cover Miccarelli’s and his wife’s health benefits, according to House Chief Clerk Dave Reddecliff.
A story posted on the PennLive website Wednesday also estimated Miccarelli could also expect an annual pension of $32,311 if he does not retire before age 50. SERS could not be reached late Thursday to confirm that figure.
Democrat David Delloso, 53, of Ridley, will replace Miccarelli in January. Delloso, who was recently re-elected to a three-year term as president of International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 312, defeated former Republican Delaware County Sheriff Mary Hopper 12,826 to 12,056 in the November General Election to flip the seat for the first time in 40 years.
The Associated Press found that as of August, at least 76 state lawmakers faced public allegations or repercussions over sexual misconduct claims since January 2017. Thirty of them had resigned or were expelled.