FBI wiretap showed judge promoted ex parte communications, legal ethics complaint says
A FBI sting of a Philadelphia municipal judge has previously put at least two fellow jurists on the hot seat. They are now joined by a third colleague.
Based on alleged conversations with convicted former Court of Common Pleas Judge Joseph Waters, two fellow jurists, Judges Joseph O’Neill and Dawn A. Segal, were hit with legal ethics cases earlier this year, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported at the time.
And on Friday a legal ethics complaint was filed against Judge Angeles Roca, who also sits on the court. The complaint (PDF) says a wiretap by the feds shows Roca had conversations with Waters in 2012 while seeking to derail a city business tax enforcement case against her son.
In response to those conversations, Waters said he would contact Segal, one of the two judges named in the earlier ethics case. Later, Waters called Roca back and said the matter had been “taken care of” by Segal, who was the judge overseeing the tax case, the complaint says.
The complaint faults Roca for allegedly using her influence to try to help her son in a case before the court; encouraging ex parte conversations between Waters and Segal; and failing to report to legal ethics authorities that these conversations had occurred.
Aside from Waters, none of the jurists has been criminally charged and a lawyer for Judge O’Neill said that they were not culpable when the legal ethics case against O’Neill and Segal was announced.
“They did nothing wrong. It’s just a tragedy,” attorney Samuel Stretton told the Inquirer, referring to O’Neill and Segal. “Joe Waters did some crazy things, made some stupid calls. Their biggest mistake was not turning him in.”
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Judge suddenly resigns, takes plea in federal corruption case”
ABAJournal.com: “FBI created phony defendant to trap judge; 2nd judge now being investigated by conduct board”
Philadelphia Inquirer: “US subpoenas records of five Phila. judges”
Philadelphia Inquirer: “Buried in a filing: a new case of Philly judicial misconduct”
Philadelphia Inquirer: “Onetime power broker gets six months in prison”
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