However, Cahill's administration began a precipitous decline in 1972, when Secretary of State Paul J. Sherwin, a long-time aide to Cahill from his days in Washington, was indicted, convicted and sentenced to one to three years in prison for rigging a $600,000 state highway contract in a scheme that kicked back $10,000 to Cahill's closest donors. The issue was compounded by the fact that charges were only brought after 18 months of delay, when U.S. Attorney Herbert J. Stern compelled state Attorney General George F. Kugler to prosecute. Though the State Commission of Investigation released a lengthy report criticizing Stern and exonerating Kugler, legislators in both parties considered the commission's ability to be subjective compromised, and Democratic leaders called the report a "whitewash."
