Posted on 10/22/2003 5:35:41 AM PDT by randita
Posted on Wed, Oct. 22, 2003
City officials told: 'Preserve all records'
By Rose Ciotta, Marcia Gelbart and Nancy Phillips Inquirer Staff Writers
Mayor Street's administration has ordered its department heads to "preserve all records" as they prepare to answer a wide-ranging grand-jury subpoena delivered last week in the federal corruption probe.
The confidential memorandum, a copy of which was obtained by The Inquirer, told officials to save everything from e-mails and appointment books to bank deposits, meeting logs and computer data on city business starting last Jan. 1.
"As you are aware, the City has been served with a Grand Jury Subpoena" by federal prosecutors, City Solicitor Nelson A. Diaz wrote in the memo, dated Friday. "We are not certain what records they wish to preserve... . No record, in either hard copy or electronic should be altered or destroyed... ."
Word also surfaced yesterday of another subpoena by the same federal investigators, this one served on a fabled Wall Street financial house: J.P. Morgan.
The nature of records sought from the Morgan firm could not be learned. But it was the second subpoena to mention Morgan; the first turned up last week in Mobile, Ala.
School officials in Mobile were told to turn over documents from a recent $121 million bond issue, including any records of Morgan investment banker Anthony Snell, and of the Street confidant at the center of the investigation: lawyer Ronald A. White.
White's Center City firm has received a steady flow of business from the Street administration. FBI agents raided the firm last Thursday and seized more than 50 boxes of documents.
In Alabama, Robert Campbell, the Mobile schools' lawyer, said yesterday, "We don't know these people," referring to White and Snell. Campbell said school officials had dealt with the Morgan firm on the bond issue but did not know why Philadelphia prosecutors were interested in their school-building financing.
Mobile officials said they complied by sending federal prosecutors in Philadelphia a computer disk loaded with documents dating to Jan. 1, 1999.
Reached at his office in Atlanta, Snell declined comment, as did a Morgan company spokesman in New York. White, whose various enterprises include a youth charity and two political-action committees, has said federal prosecutors are singling him out because he is a successful black man.
In recent years, White and the Morgan firm have had a role, along with other law firms and managers, in several city bond issues here, the largest of them a $186.7 million sale of Philadelphia Gas Works revenue bonds last December.
Meanwhile, Street's allies in Congress fired more rhetorical salvos yesterday at U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft and the Justice Department.
U.S. Reps. Bob Brady, Chaka Fattah and Joseph Hoeffel had written to Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert S. Mueller 3d, demanding an explanation of the decision to bug the mayor's office weeks before the election. Yesterday, they sent a second letter, asking to meet with Ashcroft this week during his visit to Philadelphia for a conference of police chiefs.
"The timing is disgusting," Brady said yesterday of the bugging. "It couldn't wait another 20 days?... Can't we have this conversation Nov. 8? Can't we talk about ruining someone's Christmas instead of ruining someone's election?"
U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan has said politics plays no role in investigations by his office.
Contact staff writer Rose Ciotta at 215-854-5024 or rciotta@phillynews.com. Inquirer staff writers Joseph DiStefano and Mark Fazlollah contributed to this article.
© 2003 Philadelphia Inquirer and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.philly.com
One more case of discrimination agains Christians.
Case dismissed.
Around the time frame of Street becoming Mayor.
Kick backs from the bond sale?
It was the John Street Camp that released this information about the Bug, that stemmed from a 2 yr. investigation .. So Street can only blame himself.
Also 186 Million sure is a nice chunk of change .. then add the 400 million that is unaccounted for from that school and who knows what else
And when did a youth charity become an enterprise.
IMO .. there is more then just kick backs going on here
Where is the info about the missing fund? I must have missed those specifics.
Do you think there was embezzlement?
He'll have another charge of destroying evidence. I believe they have him 'cold' and when the JP Morgan cops a plea, Street will be trying on one of those striped suits.
I hope you're right. I can't wait for him to be nabbed once and for all. Philly is a hole, and it's because of him.
Do you think there was embezzlement?
I have to look for where that info was reported
It's the dude that owned the charter school .. I think his name is Shamsud-din Ali .. Anyhow, he rec'd 4 million for the school, but he seems to not have invested into the school .. they had no heat, barely any books and a bunch other stuff
the 186 million is about a bond issue for the sale of Phila Gas Company .. I don't know if there is anything going on there except that Street has a bad habit of not paying his bill. The last I heard, he owed them 60 thousand in back bills .. I don't know if he ever paid them
As for embezzlement? .. I haven't seen anything reported about that .. but there sure seems to be some funny money going on is my guess
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