Former officer arrested in gun-theft scandal
A former police officer was charged Wednesday for his role in an alleged theft scandal seven years ago at the Philadelphia Police Department's Firearms Identification Unit, according to court records.
A former police officer was charged Wednesday for his role in an alleged theft scandal seven years ago at the Philadelphia Police Department's Firearms Identification Unit, according to court records.
Anthony Magsam's arrest on charges of theft, receiving stolen property, and obstruction of administrative law came one week after his former commander, Lt. Vincent J. Testa, committed suicide prior to a scheduled meeting with prosecutors about the case.
Magsam, 35, was released from custody Wednesday following an arraignment. Attempts to reach him for comment late Wednesday were not successful. No lawyer was listed on his initial charging document.
Cameron Kline, spokesman for the District Attorney's Office, declined to comment on the case.
Police Commissioner Richard Ross said he knew only that Magsam had been taken into custody Wednesday as the result of a grand jury probe.
Magsam was accused in 2009 of stealing parts of automatic weapons while working for the Firearms Identification Unit.
The Daily News reported in 2011 that Magsam had confessed the thefts to his colleagues but was not disciplined. Instead, the paper reported, he was quietly transferred out of the unit, apparently with Testa's help. Magsam's parents were longtime high-ranking police officials, the Daily News said.
After the issue became public, then-Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey reassigned both Magsam and Testa, and asked the U.S. Department of Justice to audit the firearms unit.
Magsam retired from the force in 2011 as the Internal Affairs unit investigated the theft allegations.
Testa, 53, was found dead in his home last Wednesday, a day before he was to face questions from the District Attorney's Office.
The charges revealed Wednesday were the first to emerge from the scandal.
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