Allentown to Go On Trial Over Prosecution of Lawyer

In the 1990s, Anthony Bruneio worked as a lawyer in the Lehigh Valley [PA], mostly representing criminal defendants, when he became a criminal defendant himself.

Allentown police charged him with arson, accusing him of setting fire to the house where he lived. But in a trial, a jury cleared him of all charges.

Now it's Bruneio's turn. After four years of pretrial maneuvering, a federal trial is scheduled to start today in Bruneio's civil rights lawsuit against the city police and fire departments.

Bruneio has accused officials of maliciously prosecuting him and concealing or destroying evidence, devastating his professional and personal life.

He alleges that police targeted him and other criminal defense lawyers. And he alleges that the fire marshal did a shoddy investigation.

Relations between prosecuters and the criminal defense bar in Lehigh Valley sound just ducky. Details here from The Morning Call.