The Bonusgate scandal emerging in Harrisburg is the result of some 18 months of investigation by state Attorney General Tom Corbett. Because the extent of the political corruption and misuse of public money is so extensive, there is speculation that the probe could continue for another two years.

One of the recent revelations has to do with $1.7 million that House Democrats are alleged to have spent on developing a partisan e-mail campaign. Corbett's investigators say House Democrats, wanting to find an effective way to send out targeted campaign propaganda aimed at helping Democrats win elections, spent $1.2 million of taxpayers' money to buy e-mail addresses.

To manage this electronic propaganda machine, investigators say House Democrats initially worked with a House staffer, Eric Buxton, who is the son of a legislator. Investigators say the 29-year-old staffer created e-mail messages that suggested they were paid for by the House Democratic Campaign Committee when, in reality, they were paid for out of legislative funds, money not allowed to be used for campaign or re-election efforts.

This is the central theme of Bonusgate — use of other people's money, taxpayer money, to win elections.

About two years after Buxton began working with the database of purchased e-mails, the young staffer left his House job and became a consultant. Then, he was hired by House Democrats to continue doing the same work, but for as much as four times his $51,400 salary as a House staffer.

Over a two-year period, the younger Buxton was paid more than $400,000 in taxpayer funds to do partisan, campaign-related work.

While still working as a House employee, Buxton testified, he paid to use a computer server located in Michigan to disguise the fact that the so-called blast e-mails were being sent from a computer in Pennsylvania's state capital — that was paid for by taxpayers (Democrats, Republicans and Independents).

In addition to learning details about the e-mail campaign allegedly developed by House Democrats, recent news reports now reveal that House Democrats have spent about $2 million on the legal defense related to Bonusgate.

Considering the fact that it is widely expected that more charges and more indictments will follow, the legal tab for taxpayers will surely grow.

One of the possible gold mines for more charges could be in investigators' analysis of a nonprofit agency co-founded by former state Rep. Mike Veon of Beaver, who already has been indicted on charges of theft, conflict of interest and conspiracy, as part of Bonusgate.

Veon and now-retiring state Sen. Gerald LaValle reportedly helped direct about $11 million in state grants to the Beaver Initiative for Growth (BIG). But there have been persistent reports that BIGwas spending most of its money on staff and consultants, many of whom were campaign contributors.

A full accounting of the state money funneled to BIG could be part of a later phase of Corbett's investigation.

It is quite possible that BIG and another nonprofit, with close ties to retiring state Sen. Vincent Fumo, D-Philadelphia, who now faces federal corruption charges alleging misuse of state funds and state employees, could reveal a systematic abuse of nonprofits with close ties to elected officials.

Millions of dollars allegedly were misspent by House Democrats, and possibly members of other caucuses, in the Bonusgate scandal. Now there will be millions more in legal bills that will have to be picked up by taxpayers.

But consider:

Those millions in legal bills will be money well spent if the money results in further reforms in Harrisburg and another purging of arrogant, self-serving lawmakers.