Posted on 10/20/2005 7:53:54 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
PHILADELPHIA - A city councilman who is the target of a federal investigation sought psychiatric care Thursday after being escorted down from City Hall's observation deck by the police commissioner.
Commissioner Sylvester Johnson and Mayor John Street, who was the first to speak with Councilman Rick Mariano near the top of the towering building, would not characterize Mariano as suicidal.
"I don't think he had an idea that all of this would result from it," Street said at a news conference following the incident that lasted about two hours.
Johnson said Mariano checked himself into Pennsylvania Hospital.
A dramatic emergency response followed Mariano's ascent to the glass-enclosed deck about 500 feet above the street. Police appeared outside the building, while fire trucks, ambulances and passers-by waited across the street.
"We don't know if he was just morose or whether or not this was a contemplation of suicide," said Frank Keel, Mariano's spokesman.
Mariano, 50, recently vowed to defend himself if charged in an ongoing federal investigation of his finances.
He and several businessmen friends received target letters this summer from federal investigators looking into the councilman's financial dealings. Prosecutors typically send the letters to people who are going to be indicted.
The incident at City Hall began around 4 p.m. Street said he went up to the observation deck after hearing Mariano was there. He said Mariano was "very concerned that all of his years of public service are going to be compromised by the current situation."
The mayor left after Johnson arrived, and the police commissioner said he and Mariano rode down on the elevator.
The FBI subpoenaed Mariano's office records and e-mails in the spring. He later refused to answer questions about personal loans and income sources on city and state financial disclosure forms.
"I think the pressure has been building," Keel said.
Philadelphia's City Hall tower is shown Thursday, Oct. 20, 2005, after embattled city Councilman Rick Mariano came down from its observation level, possibly after contemplating suicide, his spokesman said. 'We don't know if he was just morose or whether or not this was contemplation of suicide,' Frank Keel, Mariano's spokesman, said. Mariano, 50, recently vowed to keep his seat and defend himself if charged in an ongoing federal investigation of his finances. (AP Photo/George Widman)
Many shouting jump?
There was even a Monty Python sketch with the characters making bets on who would be jumping next and when.
Funny it took the FEDS to find his corruption. Where was DA LYNN ABRAHAM?????? Where and when does SHE EVER go after her OWN?????? They interviewed several of Rick's political pals on the news, one of them being Lynn Abraham.
The FEDS should launch an investigation into her office. There's a lot they'd find there as well!!!!!
Believe me he did it to avoid arrest and a possible night in jail. I don't put anything past these people.
Street and Sylvester both claiming that Mariano wasn't even thinking about jumping and couldn't have anyway because the tower is enclosed in steel and glass - so why were they both up there with him? - more double-talk from Philly's elite....
me an rich was watch'in but didn't see em jump. i was hop'n for one less lawyer.
me an rich was watch'in but didn't see em jump. i was hop'n for one less lawyer.
There are many buildings in Philadelphia taller than William Penn now. Why didn't Mariano stand on top of one of those (and actually jump)?
Because it was all STAGED. Just a show.
Hmmmm...Judging by the story, Mariano has no party affiliation.
10/19/2005 - 8:56am.
according to the Daily News, he is about to be indicted.
One target of the investigation, Vincent DiPentino, testified yesterday before a federal grand jury and is now cooperating with the U.S. Attorney's Office.
His attorney, Mark Cedrone, confirmed yesterday that DiPentino had testified about "his relationship and business dealings with Councilman Mariano."
DiPentino did not initiate the financial transaction that caused his legal trouble, Cedrone said, but "fully expects" to be charged.
"Mr. DiPentino is now called upon to pay heavily for his acknowledged wrongdoing," Cedrone said. "He's prepared to accept responsibility for his wrongdoing."
DiPentino, a longtime friend of Mariano's and owner of a real-estate firm in Juniata Park, acted as middleman for a $10,900 check issued by another company in 2002 to pay off part of Mariano's credit-card debt.
******
Thu, Oct. 20, 2005
A master of negative publicity
By Frederick Cusick
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Councilman Rick Mariano, a sometime electrician who was collecting unemployment when he ousted his former patron, Councilman Daniel McElhatton, during the 1995 Democratic primary, has always known how to attract negative or unflattering attention.
In 1997, for example, while harrying prostitutes in his district, he had an armed face-off with two men who appeared to be pimps. No violence or arrests resulted.
And there have been other incidents:
In 1999, he threatened a TV news reporter after the reporter caught Mariano's staff delivering cookies for his wife's bakery.
In 2000, his wife filed a document in Family Court accusing him of physical abuse. Mariano denied any abuse, and the two later divorced.
More...
http://tinyurl.com/84feo
Officials say that Mariano was at Pennsylvania Hospital Thursday night. The embattled councilman came down from City Hall's observation tower earlier in the evening.
At a press conference, Mayor John Street said that Mariano wanted to get away and have an opportunity to reflect, so he went to a place where he could do that.
Street added that he would not characterize the councilman as suicidal.
"I think the whole thing, unfortunately, has been blown out of proportion," said Street, who was the first to speak with Mariano up on the deck. "I don't think he had an idea that all of this would result from it.
"He just went to a place where he thought he would be able to be peaceful. It never occurred to me that he was on the verge of taking his own life or doing anything destructive of his life."
snip
Keel said that there was no indication earlier on Thursday whether Mariano was distraught. Keel says "He was feisty, he was upbeat, he was defiant."
However, Councilman Frank Rizzo said he believed Mariano had gone up to the tower in a possible attempt to take his own life.
"I'd be really surprised if it turns out to be anything other than that," Rizzo told NBC 10 News.
Neighbors expressed shock about Mariano's actions.
"I never thought he would come to those terms," said neighbor Eleutro Pellot.
Several council members at the scene said Mariano had seemed relatively fine at a council meeting earlier on Thursday.
"He is in all of our prayers," said Councilman Michael Nutter, calling it a "shocking and sad situation."
snip
Sources told NBC 10 News that the key to all of this is Mariano's long-time friend, Vincent DiPentino. Those sources said that DiPentino was the money middleman for Mariano. DiPentino is now cooperating with the U.S. attorney's office, and a source very close to the case said that DiPentino would testify against Mariano. In fact, the source said that he is surprised that Mariano hasn't tried making a deal already.
Federal investigators are looking at Mariano's dealings with his former Catholic high school football coach, who now runs a North Philadelphia strip club; a friend who runs a real-estate firm; and a scrap metal company that allegedly paid his credit-card bills, according to published reports.
The 50-year-old Mariano, a former union electrician, earns $98,000 a year in the council job he's held for a decade.
Perhaps they were going to throw him off, but got caught.
Hmmmm...Judging by the story, Mariano has no party affiliation.
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There's a lot of that going around these days. ;-)
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