Nine Traffic Court judges, three others indicted in ticket-fixing case
A federal grand jury has charged six Philadelphia Traffic Court judges, the former court director of operations and two businessmen in a ticket-fixing case unsealed Thursday morning.
Nine Traffic Court judges, three others indicted in ticket-fixing case
A federal grand jury has charged six Philadelphia Traffic Court judges, the former court director of operations and two businessmen in a ticket-fixing case unsealed Thursday morning. Three more Traffic Court judges were also charged in separate documents. Those indicted are:
- Former administrative Judge Michael Sullivan, who was removed from his leadership post by the state Supreme Court in December 2011 but was still hearing cases.
- Judge Michael Lowry, the son of a ward leader, who admitted to an investigations firm hired by the Supreme Court that ticket fixing happened in Traffic Court.
- Judge Robert Mulgrew, who was suspended by the Supreme Court in September after being indicted on unrelated charges.
- Former President Judge Thomasine Tynes, who retired in July.
- Former Administrative Judge Fortunato Perri Sr., who is retired.
- Bucks County District Judge H. Warren Hogeland, who hears cases in Traffic Court.
- Delaware County District Judge Kenneth Miller, who heard cases in Traffic Court until 2008.
- Chester County District Judge Mark Bruno, who heard cases in Philadelphia's Traffic Court.
- William Hird, the director of operations, who retired in November 2011, two months after FBI and IRS agents raided his home, office and a bar he runs in South Philly.
- Henry "Eddy" Alfano, a tow truck company operator who also operates two strip clubs.
- Robert Moy, a translation company owner who provides services in Traffic Court.
The eight defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud and aiding and abetting a crime. Tynes, Lowry and Mulgrew were also charged with perjury, accused of lying to a grand jury. Singletary and Hird face charges of making false statements to the FBI.
Perri, Miller and Hogeland were charged through "information" documents, which means they waived their rights to have their cases presented to the grand jury, a sign that they are expected to take a plea deal.
When is McCaffery going to be indicted for getting his wife's ticket fixed?— Getinline- This is a big step forward in Philadelphia history to changing the culture of corruption. With Fumo already in jail and these knuckleheads going to jail, I think Philly politicians will finally see that times have changed and the old, corrupt ways are going the way of the Fumo. It's about time.
- Lock em all up for 2 years. Eliminate their pension. Investigate the city council members next. They take more bribes than anyone.— misterpond
- OK... Montgomery County... you are next. 7 years. 14 judges. 1 Divorce which has annihilated a family and denied justice. Each succeeding judge is forced to join the corruption and abuse of power to protect the prior judges abuse of power under color of law. www.work2bdone.com/live— Terance Healy
- Does this mean Traffic Court has only one judge remaining who is not indicted or retired?— anti-tax
- No way!!! I thought these were the good guys? Especially the tow truck/strip club operator.— Wilhelm Von Humboldt
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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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