Perjury. Bribery. Running pay-for-play operations out of city government offices. Offering favorable treatment in exchange for sex.

These are just some of the activities employed by once-powerful public officials in Pennsylvania. They were given the public trust - along with enviable salaries and benefits - and abused their positions, prosecutors say.

Here's a look at public figures who ended up in Pennsylvania's criminal justice system in 2018.

A note: Most on this list have been convicted or pleaded guilty. A few individuals have been charged but their cases have not been resolved.

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Kathleen Kane on the day she was taken to prison. Photo courtesy of the Montgomery County Correctional Facility

Kathleen Kane

The former Pennsylvania Attorney General, Kathleen Kane began her prison term after nearly two years of delays.

Kane was convicted in 2016 of leaking secret grand jury information and lying about it. But she had appealed the sentence and then sought to delay when she had to go to jail. Her legal avenues exhausted, Kane reported to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in November.

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AP Photo

Kane's imprisonment caps one of the more remarkable sagas in Pennsylvania politics in years.

At one time, she was viewed as a rising star in the Democratic party. She was the first woman elected attorney general when voters overwhelmingly chose her in 2012. Less than four years later, she resigned after her perjury conviction.

She is serving a sentence of 10 to 23 months in prison.

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Matt Rourke/AP Photo

Ed Pawlowski

In October, former Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski was sentenced to 15 years in prison on corruption charges. He was convicted by a jury in March.

His conviction and prison term comes after a lengthy federal investigation of the city governments of Allentown and Reading. Several other officials in both cities have been convicted or entered plea agreements.

Prosecutors say Pawlowski made it clear that those who wanted city contracts had to give to his political campaigns.

Pawlowski at one point was a U.S. Senate candidate but he abandoned his campaign as the investigation gained steam.

"Ed Pawlowski sold the city of Allentown out," said Michael T. Harpster, special agent in charge of the FBI's Philadelphia division.

"He used his position as mayor to further his political career, coolly embracing the practice of 'pay to play,'" Harpster said. "Though his actions have sorely betrayed the public trust, Pawlowski has expressed neither regret nor remorse."

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AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Vaughn Spencer

The former mayor of Reading, Spencer was convicted in a federal corruption trial in August.

Prosecutors said Spencer was running a pay-for-play operation out of his office. Spencer was found guilty of nine counts of bribery, one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy.

Like Pawlowski, Spencer coaxed campaign contributions from those vying for city contracts, prosecutors said.

"Elected officials are entrusted to act in the best interests of their residents and not to use their office for their own personal gain," said U.S. Attorney William McSwain. "Former Mayor Spencer abdicated those responsibilities when he bribed other local officials in order to collect additional political contributions for his re-election campaign."

Spencer took office in 2012. He lost the 2015 Democratic primary to current Mayor Wally Scott.

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PennLive/Dan Gleiter

Rob McCord

The former state treasurer, Rob McCord is serving a federal prison sentence for trying to extort campaign contributions during his unsuccessful 2014 bid for governor.

In August, U.S. Middle District Judge John Jones sentenced McCord to 2 1/2 years in federal prison.

"The public trusted him with billions of dollars," Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Consiglio said, "and he bargained decisions away for his own personal benefit...He corrupted a watchdog agency."

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AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Vanessa Lowery Brown

Former state Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown was convicted of bribery and other charges. In November, Brown, a Philadelphia Democrat, was sentenced to 23 months of probation and ordered to pay $4,000 in restitution.

Amidst pressure, Brown resigned her seat in the state House. She was one of several Philadelphia lawmakers charged with illegally taking cash gifts but the others had previously reached plea agreements with authorities.

Brown tearfully apologized in Dauphin County Court.

"I take full responsibility for my actions, and I just wish that I had made better decisions," she said.

The conviction could cost Brown the pension and health benefits she would normally receive as a former lawmaker. But the legal battle may not be over. After the sentencing, her attorney said the conviction would be appealed.

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Katie Smolen/Bedford Gazette via AP

William Higgins

The former Bedford County district attorney, Higgins pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a corruption investigation. Prosecutors said he protected drug dealers from prosecution, offering favorable treatment to women drug dealers in exchange for sex.

As a result of his plea agreement, Higgins lost his law license and his pension.

Higgins pleaded guilty to 11 counts of obstructing administration of law or other government function, two counts of official oppression, three counts of recklessly endangering another person, nine counts of intimidation of witnesses or victims and six counts of hindering apprehension or prosecution.

He resigned in April after he was charged.

Higgins "traded his power and law enforcement authority for sexual favors and he violated his oath to the people of Bedford County - compromising the security of his community and the safety of confidential informants," Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a statement.

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Eric Bower

The former Bloomsburg mayor, Bower pleaded no contest to charges of patronizing prostitutes in June.

Bower, who was elected mayor in January, was charged in April after soliciting sex from a state police informant, the state attorney general's office said. He negotiated a fee for sex and arrived at a pre-determined location with cash and condoms and was arrested by police.

He resigned as mayor in May.

"The people of Bloomsburg elected Eric Bower as their mayor, and he proceeded to flout the law and solicit sex from a prostitute multiple times," Attorney General Josh Shapiro said.

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Edward C. Smith

Smith, the former deputy coroner for Carbon and Schuylkill counties, will spend many years in prison.

In August, Smith pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a boy. He was sentenced to eight to 16 years in prison.

Smith had sexual contact with the victim multiple times, according to the state attorney general's office. The victim was 14 to 16 years old.

"The victim was horrifically assaulted on multiple occasions," Shapiro said.

Earlier this year, Smith was convicted of attempting to set up a sexual encounter with a teenage boy. The "boy" was in fact an undercover agent. He was sentenced to six to 20 years in prison following that conviction.

The sentences will be served consecutively, according to the attorney general's office.

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Michael Diebold

A former police chief in Armstrong County, Diebold pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from an undercover agent posing as a teenage girl.

Diebold, the former police chief of Leechburg, pleaded guilty to felony charges of unlawful contact with a minor and other related charges. He was sentenced to 9 to 23 months in Westmoreland County Prison.

Because of his time served, Diebold will be eligible for parole Jan. 28, the Tribune-Review has reported.

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Jonathan Held

The Westmoreland County Sheriff, Held directed his officers to collect contributions for his re-election while they were on duty, state prosecutors said.

Officers made calls during business hours and collected checks, according to the attorney general's office, which filed charges against Held in February.

Held was charged with two counts of theft and one count of conflict of interest. His case went to court in December but it ended in a mistrial.

State prosecutors have said they would re-try Held.

Held has maintained his innocence and said the charges were filed by disgruntled former employees.

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Pa. Attorney General Josh Shapiro (PennLive file photo)

Bald Eagle officials

The former chairman of the Bald Eagle Township supervisors and the former township secretary are facing charges from a public corruption investigation. The attorney general's office filed charges in October.

Michelle Walizer, the ex-secretary, is accused of writing checks to herself totaling more than $76,000, according to the attorney general's office. Walizer entered fradulent information to make it appear that the money went to pay contractors, prosecutors said.

James Bechdel, the former chairman of the township supervisors, is accused of obtaining a FEMA trailer for his brother's private use, according to the attorney general's office.

Walizer and Bechdel "are charged with trading their positions of authority for shameful personal enrichment," Shapiro said.