Pennsylvania, land of giants

How many other states can brag about such bipartisan corruption?

They used to share a gavel. Now, apparently, they’re sharing a jail cell.

John Perzel, a Republican from Philadelphia and Bill Deweese, a Democrat from Greene, share the distinction of both having served as Speaker of the Pennsylvania State House.

They also became convicted felons within a month of each other after separate convictions on corruption charges. Now they’re both at Camp Hill state prison, and according to the website PoliticsPA, they’re sharing the same cell.

A spokesman at the prison confirmed to ABC News that Perzel and Deweese are both at the prison and on the same cellblock, but said the Department of Corrections does not release information about which particular cells inmate inhabits.

Democratic Rep. Ronald Waters, who serves in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and worked with both Perzel and Deweese prior to their convictions, commented that “to the best of our knowledge, it seems to be true.”

Waters said he first learned of the situation via a conversation with Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel, who tentatively confirmed the rumors. “It’s truly a coincidence,” Waters said.  ”They’ll probably have some time to spend there together, and who knows where they’re going to go after they leave there.”

Perzel pled guilty last August to eight criminal counts, including theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest, after heading a scheme to use taxpayer-paid computer programs to win political campaigns, according to the Associated Press. Deweese was convicted of five counts in his own corruption case in February, including conflict of interest and conspiracy as well as three counts of theft stemming from charges that his state-paid staff performed campaign work, a scandal the Pennsylvania press dubbed “Bonusgate.”