HARRISBURG -- It is "inconceivable" that House Majority Leader H. William DeWeese wasn't aware of bonuses paid to state employees for work on Democratic campaigns, independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader said at a news conference yesterday.

In a recent grand jury presentment that named 12 elected and appointed officials, a Harrisburg grand jury alleged that one project the staffers were involved in was an effort to remove Mr. Nader from the 2004 presidential ballot in Pennsylvania. He was taken off the ballot for having improper signatures on nominating petitions and ordered to pay more than $81,000 in legal costs.

Yesterday Mr. Nader said he planned to petition the state Supreme Court to reconsider that order in light of new evidence in the presentment.

Mr. DeWeese, D-Waynesburg, was not among the 12.

His spokesman, Tom Andrews, was out of the office and did not return a call or e-mail yesterday. Mr. DeWeese's office said no one else was available to comment.

Mr. DeWeese has maintained that he knew nothing about campaign work being done at taxpayer expense and that the only bonuses he was aware of were small amounts routinely given at Christmas.

Mr. Nader said he has doubts about Mr. DeWeese's claims.

"Everything happened in his office. He sent out missives. He knew things were being signed," Mr. Nader said yesterday. "What the Democratic Party legislators and their legislative staffs did was one of the most fraudulent and deceitful exercises ever perpetrated on Pennsylvania voters."

Mr. Nader's attorney, Oliver Hall, pointed reporters to several press releases sent in 2004 that list Mr. DeWeese as the contact person for reporters.

One says "DeWeese and [former House Democratic whip Mike] Veon helped to organize a corps of volunteers across the state to review the petitions Nader's campaign submitted." Another news release on the same topic includes a quote from Mr. DeWeese: "We are having volunteers comb through the signatures to make sure the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed."

Mr. Nader said candidates and voters alike were victims of the effort.

"It strikes directly at the First Amendment right of Americans to run for office and to choose candidates in open and competitive elections," he said.

Mr. Hall said he expects to file a court petition as soon as today to block his client from having to pay legal costs.

Carl Romanelli, a 2006 Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate, also was also thrown off the ballot after Democratic efforts uncovered false signatures on his petitions. Like Mr. Nader, he was ordered to reimburse Democrats' legal fees. He, too, is asking the Supreme Court to reconsider.

Attorney General Tom Corbett said his investigation is continuing and more charges could result.