Nine current and former Traffic Court judges indicted

Philadelphia Inquirer ^ | 01/31/2013 | John P. Martin and Craig R. McCoy,

[Kid Shelleen]

Nine current or former Philadelphia Traffic Court judges surrendered today to face corruption charges after a three-year FBI probe into ticket-fixing in the beleaguered court.

A 77-count indictment returned Tuesday but sealed until Thursday, said judges and their assistants routinely shredded documents, used code words and practiced "a well-understood conspiracy of silence" that turned the court into two systems: One where the average citizen paid for their infractions, while the connected saw tickets disappear, costing the Commonwealth an untold amount.

"For years, even beyond the conspiracy charged, there existed a culture of ticket fixing at Traffic Court," the indictment said. "The ticket fixing was pervasive and frequent."

[Kid Shelleen]

"Traffic court has for decades been seen as a patronage mill"

[Kid Shelleen]

**** Philly Metro Ping ****

[Paladin2]

In Philly?

Just more 'rats interested in the rule of law.

[EDINVA]

What happens when you have a government or agency run by those ill-equipped to run it. I doubt within Philadelphia there was anything subtle about all this, and it was very widely known to one and all.

[BenLurkin]

This type of corruption is going to expand exponentially, as America slips deeper and deeper into the clutches of Democrat One Party rule.

[SeaHawkFan]

Thank goodness this doesn’t happen anywhere else..

[Red Badger]

Maybe Jackie Chan was right, after all..................

[familyop]

More local government corruption busted. Great job, feds! More!

[oh8eleven]

... said judges and their assistants routinely ... used code words
Oh, the horror! (I thought only racist, bigoted, homophobic GOPers did that.)

[mountainlion]

Were they form the 59 precincts that got over 99% of the vote?

[jiggyboy]

Corrupt judges in Philadelphia — I just don’t know what to think any more.

[SgtHooper]

Ah, Fleecadelphia, a student of liberalism as graduated from Chicago.

[apillar]

Hate to say it, but this happens in most towns and cities across the country. I worked in a small town lawyers office during my college years and I saw first hand how the people in power along with their family and friends got their infractions “taken care of”. I remember one specific case where a local politician's teenage son came flying up the main drag one evening and took out an entire row of parking meters. When the police arrived he was passed out drunk in the front seat. Oddly enough, they “forgot” to test him for alcohol so he wasn't charged with drunk driving, all he got hit with was a minor failure to maintain control charge. Anybody else in the same situation would have had the book thrown at them.

[NativeSon]

Many of the denizens (of Philly) knew this went on. There are/were many levels to this as well; pay the vig (certain "suggested" attorney) and the issues disappeared.

and then there's the lazy parking authority that would ticket you assuming you were there longer than you were- my sister was a visiting nurse and busted those clowns because she had signed records on when she arrived at and left a patient...

[Newbomb Turk]

I had a guy blow through a stop sign drunk going 70 in a 35 and the police weren't going to arrest or ticket him because he was somebody well knowns kid.

To bad my friend the state patrolman happen to drive up on the scene. He took the individual out of police custody and took over the accident scene when they told him they weren't going to charge anyone.

[NativeSon]

True, happens everywhere but Philly is just one of those places that pushes the envelope- I95, 3am, accident, drunk driver, big bag of coke... Cops find out that his dad is one of their high ranking members... He gets a ride home and a report is entered about a stolen car, oh and somehow keeps his dope.

[Calamari]

Do these judges carry firearms for personal protection?

Aren’t they part of the privileged class-our betters- who can be trusted with firearms?

Wow! A couple of drug running cops in Houston; now these judges. Why it is beginning to look like government employees are not much better than the general population.

I guess our trust is misplaced.

[C.O. Correspondence]

Thanks for the post. It’s just more evidence of the corruption inherent in all branches of the government. I would wager that the federal level of corruption would put local corruption to shame.

[Cowgirl of Justice]

Yup.

In the small town I grew up in, a cardiologist’s son (a drunken pothead) got a DWI. The dad simply called his atty and it was effectively erased from the books- no trial, no hearing, no record.

Like it never even happened..

[johnd201]

C’mon. it’s Philly !!! What else is expected from the city of “brotherly love”. Even Baltimore has a better record when it comes to corruption of public officials. ( I’m from Baltimore.) And we don’t boo Santa Claus or punch customers trying to buy tickets for replacement player football games.