And the dam bursts
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And the dam bursts
Nine current or former Philadelphia Traffic Court judges surrendered today to face corruption charges after a three-year FBI probe into ticket-fixing in the beleaguered court.
77-count indictment returned Tuesday but sealed until Thursday, said judges and their assistants routinely shredded documents, used code words and practiced "a well-understood conspiracy of silence" that turned the court into two systems: One where the average citizen paid for their infractions, while the connected saw tickets disappear, costing the Commonwealth an untold amount.
"For years, even beyond the conspiracy charged, there existed a culture of ticket fixing at Traffic Court," the indictment said. "The ticket fixing was pervasive and frequent."
Wowsa. This comes on the heels of the ongoing ethics scandal surrounding Philadelphia City Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, with tentacles that touch U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah as well as Mayor Nutter, whose administration gave a cushy city job to Brown's scandal scarred aide. not to mention criminal charges against the business partner of a state rep from South Philly, not to mention a look across the river to U.S. Sen. Bob "I did not have sexual relations with that underage prostitute" Menendez.
Notice anything all these players have common? Of course you do, it's obvious. They're all...fans of the Philadelphia Phillies.
OK, I was just pulling your leg, they're all Democrats. Now, there's a couple ways you can go with this. There's 1) all Democrats are slimeballs with no moral compass or 2) when a Democrat does it, it's called corruption, but when a Republican does it, it's called...yachting, or 3) while it's sad and pathetic to see so many, um, allegedly (heh) corrupt pols in and about our great metropolis. it's also worth noting the the Justice Department that's investigating all these characters, and the president who appoints the attorney general, are also Democrats, which actually speaks well of the American way of justice.
Call me crazy, but I'm guessing Attytood commenters are going to go with 1). What do you think?
Adding one last thing, going back to last week's ur post about how corrupt folks in Philly having a pretty good track record of getting away with it. In the latest version, the good guys are winning for a change. But it's only halftime -- justice cannot let up now.
I can't understand why liberals think that people like this should be managing our lives.— jmc- Another day, another corruption scandal in Philadelphia. But hey, our Mayor is doing something about it, right?
Right?— General Turgidson - Only in Philly could you be appointed as a judge without ever actually practicing law.— General Turgidson
- Actually, it's quite common elsewhere. Magisterial district judges throughout the commonwealth can be elected without a law license -- they just have to attend some courses if they are not already lawyers. Other states have similar systems (read about upstate New York courts for stories of abuses). — observer76
- "upstate New York courts for stories of abuses"
So many commentors come here thinking Philly is the worse of the worse...
"You ain't heard nothin' yet"...Al Jolson, 1929.— Cuddles - Sorry I just rememberd the western Pennsylvania judges who sent kids to jail for the price of a bribe...
No one has a monopoly on virtue.— Cuddles - That wasn't in western Pa, the "cash for kids" travesty of justice took place in Luzerne county (Allentown)... That is one of the worst cass of blatant corruption in the history of this state. Kids were denied their rights and senteced to a "for profit" juvenile jail that opened after one of the judges ordered the County facility closed...
- Northeast PA and you guessed it, both crooked democrats. — tr88
- It's been pretty obvious that people in 'power' can't seem to control themselves regardless of political affiliation. What's disturbing is that one side will actually point at and accuse the other as if their house is truly in order now and always has been.— elbrewador
- 60 Years of proud Democratic rule has done wonders for the city.— CD75
- It sure makes you pine for Philly's previous proud century of Republican rule. So wonderful, that it still hasn't recovered despite 60 years of Democratic rule. Where's Smedley Butler when you need him?
- DA Seth Williams and his "Corruption Task Force" was shocked when they heard there was corruption at Traffic Court. The DA states, "Bob Brady said everything was honest there". "Guess I'll just go have lunch with Blondell and see what's new in Council".— tlee
- I voted for Thatcher Longstreh(R) for years after the Rizzo(D)/Thatcher election. While it's not quite the same thing it broke my heart that just before Thatch's death he dumped the wife for the secretary.
No one has a monopoly on virtue.
— Cuddles - The Democrat Roosevelt, the Republican LaGuardia...
Good politicians are (very) rare...A fact.— Cuddles - "Philadelphia, corrupt and content." - Lincoln Steffins, Muckraker, 100 years ago. Everything changes; nothing changes. It doesn't matter whose in office the "D's" or the "R's".— BillyBob369
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