Blago Style Trial Coming To Philly?
One local attorney thinks the current FBI probe into Philadelphia could turn into a Blagojevich-like trial of public officials.
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was tried in federal court on corruption charges. In Philadelphia, the current FBI probe is centered on several strip clubs and towing companies, and their possible connections to some Philadelphia police and government officials
Nobody has been charged in the case yet, but the FBI has been sending out agents to speak with the key players in the case.
Danny Cevallos, a local attorney who was part of Fox 29 interview segment on the FBI probe, thinks a Blago-like trial in Philadelphia's federal court is inevitable.
"If you look at the Rod Blagojevich trial, those are the same kind of charges, if charges are filed, to expect," Cevallos said.
Cevallos says the federal government, after terrorism, has made these cases a propriety, to root out corruption. He expects potential bribery and racketeering charges, based on other cases historically.
The Feds also have people on wiretaps and one person under investigation also faces a murder charge in a 2009 beating at the Oasis Gentleman's club in South Philadelphia.
There was more fallout on Thursday from the FBI corruption investigation of several city Philadelphia police officers and a high-ranking official in the department of Licenses And Inspections.
L&I official Dominick Verdi quit several hours after Fox 29 broke the news about his demotion.
Verdi's name surfaced in the corruption probe along with a police sergeant and a detective in the major crimes unit.
Sources tell Fox 29 that Verdi quit late Thursday afternoon. His final day will be February 28th.
Verdi's name surfaced last week when the FBI raided several strip clubs, towing companies and salvage yards looking for evidence of cash payments to public officials.
Verdi's part ownership of a South Philadelphia beer distributor that sought contracts with the strip clubs has come under scrutiny by the FBI. They took records last week that could link Chappy's beer distributor with the strip clubs.
The FBI is looking for evidence of cash or goods and services going to public officials from the clubs and the lucrative towing and auto salvage businesses on Essington Avenue that were raided last week.
The FBI is also looking closely at the towing of abandoned cars by the police department' s neighborhood services unit. A sergeant there has also been transferred out.
The department has towed more than 44,000 abandoned cars in the past four years. One of the raided towing companies was paid $544,000 by the city during that time period.
The FBI is trying to determine if any alleged kickbacks changed hands.