City Worker Sentenced For Accepting Bribes
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City Worker Sentenced For Accepting Bribes
Catherine Lucey
Here's the press release:
Former City Records Department Clerk Sentenced in Bribery Scheme
Philadelphia, January 26, 2011 – Philadelphia Inspector General Amy L. Kurland, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger and FBI Special Agent-in-Charge George Venizelos said that a former Philadelphia Records Department clerk was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 24 months in federal prison and 36 months of supervised release after pleading guilty to defrauding the City of more than $600,000.
Kelly Kaufmann Layre, a Clerk Typist II in the Police Reports Unit, admitted that she engaged in a corrupt scheme to sell police-incident, traffic-accident and emergency medical-services reports that defrauded the City. The investigation into Layre was initiated by the Philadelphia Inspector General.
“When I became Mayor, I promised Philadelphians that our administration would root out corruption wherever it might be. And that’s why we invested in the most professional and competent Inspector General’s Office in the City’s history,” said Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “Taxpayers can be assured that we will protect their interests, while those engaged in wrongdoing can be assured that we will uncover your schemes in partnership with local and federal law enforcement and prosecutors.”
Layre provided thousands of incident, accident and EMS reports to co-conspirators Tina Meyrick, Paul Kling and Brian Daly at a significantly reduced rate in exchange for cash payments. Layre abused her position as a public employee, pocketing nearly $186,000 during the four-year scheme. All four individuals pleaded guilty to the charges.
In addition to confinement, Layre was ordered to pay $600,415 in restitution to the City. On Monday, Jan. 24, 2011, Meyrick was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to make restitution to the city in the amount of $457,000. Kling and Daly await sentencing.
“More than $600,000 was stolen from the City at the height of a budget crisis, and many programs are still suffering from the cuts that have been made,” said Kurland, a former Federal prosecutor. “It is crucial that we recover these funds and spend them on projects that benefit all Philadelphians.”
Kurland noted that the lost funds are the equivalent of:
The operations of 15 swimming pools for the entire summer season,
Six months of operations for the LEAP program (after-school programs in the 45 neighborhood libraries), which serves 75,000 children annually, or
The salaries for about 11 police officers for one year.
Kurland said that she hopes these prison sentences will send a message that City employees must uphold the public trust at all times in their official duties and that those who steal from the City will be dealt with appropriately.
The charges were the result of an investigation initiated by the Philadelphia Office of the Inspector General and conducted jointly with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Records Department Commissioner Joan Decker cooperated with the investigation. The OIG and Commissioner Decker are developing safeguards to prevent similar schemes in the future.
The indictments were filed in federal court because the Department of Records receives federal funding. For further information, call the Inspector General’s Office at 215-686-1770.
Yet it is okay for Ex-Governor Rendell to take a "job" with both Ballard Spahr and Comcast. They should have waited to retire to collect their bribes, right Ed?— tlee- So, in the spirit of ethics in City government and the tireless pursuit of corruption, I am sure that the investigation of School Superintendent Arlene Ackerman and the million dollar payoff for a no-bid contract is underway. Philadelphia is anxiously awaiting your answer.— MomInPhilly
- one down, 999 to go.— Miss M.
- I assume that she lost any pension benefits, etc. due to her actions. Where was her manager/supervisor? Didn't her see her working like crazy and wonder where the $$ were going?— Pundit
- I totally agree with all comments i.e. tlee, mominPhilly, missm and Pundit. Totally agree. With all the corruption in Philly this is nothing.— lpenn1220
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
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Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
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