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"It's part of the broader culture of how politics operates in these places. It's passed down from one generation to another. It's almost an expectation that 'This is the way it's done,' " Borick said. "We've seen improvements, but it is still part of the culture."

The arrest this month of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who is accused of trying to sell President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder, set in motion a national discussion about which state is the most corrupt.

Illinois "is certainly one hell of a competitor," Robert Grant, the special agent in charge of the Chicago FBI office, said after Blagojevich's arrest for what U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald called "a public corruption crime spree."

Subsequently, USA Today, the Washington Post and The New York Times tried to determine the dirtiest state, based on a recent U.S. Justice Department report showing federal convictions in public corruption cases over the past decade.

The more populous states tend to have more convictions, while smaller states lead the way on a strictly per-capita basis. Pennsylvania ranked fifth in total federal convictions -- 555 -- from 1998 through 2007, behind Florida, California, New York and Texas, according to an analysis of the report by the Tribune-Review.

USA Today discovered that the most corrupt state, based on the number of incidents per 100,000 people, is North Dakota, with Pennsylvania a distant 14th in the per-capita ranking.

"When you think of a place like North Dakota, the population is so small that with just a few cases of corruption, the rate is affected," Borick said.

"I don't think these statistics are very valid," said Bev Cigler, a political science professor at Penn State University's Harrisburg campus. "They only measure who got caught."

In fact, statistics don't measure everyone who gets caught.

That's because the Justice Department study looked only at convictions of public officials who were prosecuted by U.S. Attorneys' offices.

So, in Pennsylvania the statistics would not include convictions by county district attorneys or the state attorney general, who is investigating public corruption in the General Assembly involving suspected use of tax money for political purposes. Twelve former House Democratic officials -- including two former lawmakers -- are charged with felonies. Two former staffers have agreed to plead guilty.

Over the past decade, 10 state lawmakers faced criminal charges that in some way were related to their official duties. But no governor has gone to jail despite widespread corruption in the 1970s under late Gov. Milton Shapp, said G. Terry Madonna, a political science professor at Franklin & Marshall College. Shapp "failed to rein in corruption in and around his administration," Madonna said.

A former attorney general, Ernie Preate, was sentenced to prison for a 1995 fundraising scheme. Former Auditor General Al Benedict was convicted of tax evasion and racketeering in 1988 related to a job-selling scandal. Former Treasurer Budd Dwyer, convicted of agreeing to take a $300,000 kickback, shot himself at a televised news conference in January 1987 the day before he was to be sentenced.

"The commonwealth has had its share of miscreant public officials over the years but it is far from the most corrupt state in the union," said Chuck Ardo, a spokesman for Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell. "However we must always be vigilant to ensure that public servants actually serve the public and not their individual interests."

Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan, a Republican who immediately preceded Blagojevich, remains in federal prison on a 2006 conviction for steering state work to supporters and using state resources for political purposes.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Blagojevich is the fifth Illinois governor to be accused of a crime out of 10 who have served over the past 50 years.

Former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards, who famously boasted that he couldn't be defeated unless he was "caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy," was convicted in 2001 for extorting payoffs from applicants for riverboat casinos.

"I think we (Pennsylvania) are one of the worst," said Senate Majority Whip Jane Orie, a McCandless Republican and a former prosecutor. "I think when you look at the pay to play, gaming ... bonuses, we're in a culture, especially in the Legislature, where there was no reform and business as usual."

Pennsylvania in 2006 awarded a casino license to a convicted felon.

"I know of no other state that has (casino) licensing where this has occurred," said Bill Thompson, a professor of business administration at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.

Louis DeNaples, a prominent Scranton businessman, was convicted of felony fraud charges in 1978. He was licensed to run the Mt. Airy Casino Resort in 2006. DeNaples was charged with perjury in January, accused of lying about the extent to which he knew organized crime figures. He maintains his innocence and is awaiting a preliminary hearing.

"Ever since gambling came on board (2004) there's an open door for crime and corruption," said Rep. Paul Clymer, R-Bucks County.

A powerful state lawmaker for three decades, former Sen. Vincent Fumo, D-Philadelphia, is on trial in federal court for allegedly defrauding taxpayers, a nonprofit and a seaport museum of $3.5 million.

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