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Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Councilman Kelly's Campaign Treasurer Gets Prison Time

Andy Teitelman, an attorney who served as Councilman Jack Kelly's campaign treasurer, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison this afternoon for bribing Kelly's one-time chief of staff, Chris Wright. His sentence also included a $5,000 fine and two years of supervised release after he gets out of prison. Teitelman's attorney had argued that he should be sentenced to a "substantial sentence of home confinement with community service" while prosecutors sought a 51-63 month prison term.

Teitelman was convicted in February with Wright and developer Ravinder Chawla. Teitelman served as chief counsel to real estate businesses run by Chawla and his brother, Hardeep, who was acquitted during the trial. Wright, sentenced in August to four years in prison, must surrender by 2 p.m. Thursday. Chawla, one of Kelly's most generous campaign contributors, was sentenced three weeks ago to 30 months in prison and must surrender by Oct. 26.

A jury found that Chawla and Teitelman gave Wright use of a rent-free apartment near Rittenhouse Square and free legal services in return for his help on real-estate, zoning and tax matters. Prosecutors said those bribes were worth about $20,000. Kelly, who was not charged, secretly recorded conversations for the FBI with Chawla and Wright during the investigation and testified during their trial.

Teitelman's attorney said he deserved a break because he received no direct benefit from Wright. Prosecutors countered that Teitelman did not tell the truth when he testified in his own defense that he never spoke with Chawla about Wright moving into the apartment, a claim contradicted by other testimony. They also noted that Teitelman did not pay income taxes for five years until he realized that he was the target of a federal investigation.

Posted by Chris Brennan @ 5:47 PM Permalink | 3 comments

Comments

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 6:40 PM, 09/29/2009

does he still have a law license?

— give me liberty or death

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:20 PM, 09/29/2009

1 step closer to getting Kelly. They need to bring in additional agents to investigate every politician and staffer in the city.

— Taxpaying Voter

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 6:24 AM, 09/30/2009

Kelly should have known. He sworn to protect the office he holds. I will not be voting for him again. We need a no tolerance attitude in council. Too many have the need for greed.

— FJG JR

3 comments

About The Philly Clout Team

Chris Brennan, a native Philadelphian and graduate of Temple University, joined the Daily News in 1999. He has written about SEPTA, the Philadelphia School District, the legalization of casino gambling, state government, the mayor, the governor, City Council and political campaigns.

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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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Catherine Lucey joined the Daily News in 2002 and has written about murderous drug gangs, political protesters and Harry Potter. After covering the 2007 mayoral election, she moved over to the City Hall bureau where she has been reporting on the Nutter administration.

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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.

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