Renee Tartaglione federal fraud case will go to jury
The U.S. District Court jury will hear closing arguments and then begin deliberating after 15 days of testimony.
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A federal jury will begin deliberating Thursday in the trial of Philadelphia politician Renee Tartaglione, accused of defrauding a North Philadelphia mental health clinic of which she was president and landlord.
Defense lawyers William DeStefano and Terri A. Pawelski ended their case Wednesday morning after calling 11 witnesses since Friday.
Tartaglione, 61, chose not to testify in her defense.
In a break from common court practice, U.S. District Judge Joel H. Slomsky gave the jury his charge, or instruction in law relevant to the case, after the defense rested. On Thursday, the jury will hear prosecution and defense closing arguments before beginning deliberations.
The prosecutors – Assistant U.S. Attorney Bea Witzleben and Peter N. Halpern, a trial attorney from the Justice Department's public integrity section in Washington – had presented 11 days of testimony since the trial began May 22.
Tartaglione was indicted last year on 53 counts of conspiracy, theft, fraud, and tax evasion.
The government alleges that Tartaglione drained about $1 million from the Juniata Community Mental Health Clinic between 2007 and 2012 through self-dealing, charging exorbitant rent for the clinic's five-story building at 2637 N. Fifth St. in the Fairhill section of North Philadelphia, and ensuring it was paid through her position as the president of the clinic's board.
She also allegedly ran a tax-fraud scheme in which key clinic staff received checks for no work, and then cashed them and kicked back the money to Tartaglione.
The key government witnesses against Tartaglione were former State Rep. Leslie Acosta, a Democrat whose 197th District included the clinic, and her mother, Sandy, a cofounder and the administrator of the clinic.
Leslie Acosta testified that when she worked as the clinic's contract quality assurance analyst from 2007 to 2012, her mother recruited her for the alleged kickback scheme because "Renee didn't want to pay the taxes on the money."
Both Acostas have pleaded guilty and testified for the government. Both await sentencing.
The defense focused its attacks on the Acostas, characterizing the Tartaglione indictment as the result of a feud between two rival Democratic political families.
Tartaglione is the daughter of Margaret Tartaglione, the colorful former chairwoman of the Board of City Commissioners, who headed the city's election machinery for 36 years. She is married to Carlos Matos, a Democratic ward leader in Kensington, and her sister is State Sen. Christina Tartaglione, who represents much of the Northeast.
Sandy Acosta is a former North Philadelphia ward leader and wife of Ralph Acosta, a Democrat who served as a state representative from 1985 to 1995.
In addition to highlighting that both Acostas had pleaded guilty to crimes involving their work for the clinic, one defense witness said Leslie Acosta allegedly demanded $9,000 to hire him as a therapist.
Another defense witness, State Rep. Angel Cruz, a Democrat whose 180th District abutted Acosta's in the Kensington-Fairhill neighborhoods, said Acosta told him she was planning to take control of the clinic.
DeStefano also brought in a forensic accountant, Kyle Anne Midkiff, who vouched for the clinic's financial management.
Among Tartaglione's character witnesses were her sister and Ted Kirsch, a previous president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and current president of AFT-Pennsylvania.