Fumo, Judge Get Truckload Of Vacuums

PHILADELPHIA - Former state Sen. Vince Fumo was sentenced to 55 months behind bars for his conviction on 137 counts of fraud.

That's a far cry from the 15 years for which prosecutors were asking.

On Thursday, some state residents made it known they are not happy.

Fox 29's Mike Jerrick talked Thursday morning with the man behind the unique protest.

Harrisburg activist Gene Stilp rented the flatbed truck and filled it with hundreds of vacuums, as well as what appeared to be a kitchen sink.

A large banner on the side of the truck said, "Fumo: Time To Go To Prison / Judge Buckwalter: No Delays – The Short Sentence Sucks."

Stilp explained that the reason they used the household appliances was "vacuum cleaners were Vince Fumo's symbol. He used taxpayer money to buy dozens for his mansion, so they became his symbol. And we said that … the light sentence Judge Buckwalter sucks like vacuum cleaners."

Stilp said they were also giving Fumo a handheld vacuum for his prison cell. He said Fumo should report for the scheduled start of his prison term on Aug. 31.

Stilp said Fumo's party in South Philadelphia last night – the activist called it a "wedding reception," referring to rampant rumors that Fumo and his fiancée actually got married – prompted them to wait a day in delivering the vacuums.

"That's why we didn't bring it down yesterday, to respect the man's privacy

Stilp said he also filed a judicial misconduct complaint against Buckwalter over the "light sentence."

Why does it stick in his craw so badly?

"It's not just Philadelphia that is concerned with this but across the state," Stilp said. "The idea here is that it undermines the judicial integrity across the state."

The protestors took the truck over to the federal courthouse at Sixth and Market streets later Thursday morning and held a press conference A Fox 29 News crew at the scene reported that police got the protestors away from the courthouse quickly.