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Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski elevator pat-down came shortly before FBI raid, sources say DONNA FISHER / THE MORNING CALL September 12, 2015 Standing in an elevator of the Butz Corporate Center, Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski patted his hand up and down the chest of his campaign manager, Mike Fleck. "What? Do you think I'm wearing a wire?" Fleck asked after the elevator doors closed. The tense moment would have seemed outlandish, but for one thing: Fleck was, in fact, recording Pawlowski and had been for months for the FBI, according to multiple sources. With that awkward incident, Fleck's cover was blown, and within hours FBI agents were rifling through City Hall offices in search of any documents that might link city contracts to political campaign donors. That Fleck was the man who could bring down Pawlowski's political career was particularly surprising, sources say, because Fleck wasn't just Pawlowski's campaign manager — he was his best friend. They vacationed together, spent Thanksgivings together and even watched each other's children. It was a closeness the FBI was able to exploit. Click here to view the full article
Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski elevator pat-down came shortly before FBI raid, sources say DONNA FISHER / THE MORNING CALL September 12, 2015
Standing in an elevator of the Butz Corporate Center, Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski patted his hand up and down the chest of his campaign manager, Mike Fleck.
"What? Do you think I'm wearing a wire?" Fleck asked after the elevator doors closed.
The tense moment would have seemed outlandish, but for one thing: Fleck was, in fact, recording Pawlowski and had been for months for the FBI, according to multiple sources. With that awkward incident, Fleck's cover was blown, and within hours FBI agents were rifling through City Hall offices in search of any documents that might link city contracts to political campaign donors.
That Fleck was the man who could bring down Pawlowski's political career was particularly surprising, sources say, because Fleck wasn't just Pawlowski's campaign manager — he was his best friend. They vacationed together, spent Thanksgivings together and even watched each other's children.
It was a closeness the FBI was able to exploit.
Click here to view the full article