Hearing delayed for Council aide charged with theft

Monday's preliminary hearing for Philadelphia City Council aide Nancy Gonzalez - arrested last week and charged with stealing almost $25,000 in Social Security benefits from an elderly, infirm Kensington woman - was postponed to Sept. 10 after prosecution and defense lawyers said the hearing would be protracted and need more time to complete.

Gonzalez, 51, made a brief appearance Monday before Municipal Court Judge David C. Shuter. She remains free on unsecured $5,000 bail.

The investigation began earlier this year after police officers discovered Iris Galarza, 88, living in filth and squalor in her Kensington home. Investigators later determined that Gonzalez, who was the person responsible for receiving Galarza's benefit checks, had allegedly stolen $24,688 since 2008.

Gonzalez, a city employee for 32 years currently being paid about $60,000 a year, was a secretary for former Council President Anna C. Verna, who retired this year, and retained her position under President Darrell L. Clarke. A spokesman for Clarke's office said Gonzalez had taken a leave of absence. - Joseph A. Slobodzian