PHILADELPHIA – United States Legal professional Jacqueline C. Romero introduced that James Stevens, 69, of Somerdale, NJ, and Robert Welsh, 59, now dwelling in Arizona, have been charged by Indictment with conspiracy, bribery, extortion, and fraud costs associated to a scheme to repay Stevens in trade for Stevens serving to develop the companies of Welsh. Welsh’s enterprise put in, maintained, and provided video surveillance gear to the Southeastern Regional Transportation Authority (SEPTA), and Stevens was a SEPTA official answerable for video surveillance operations at SEPTA.
In line with the Indictment, from about March 2014 till about July 2018, the defendants allegedly engaged in a bribery and extortion scheme through which Stevens, who was the Director of the Video Proof Unit with SEPTA through the time interval of the charged conduct, demanded from Welsh, proprietor and operator of Spector Logistics, Inc., a stream of economic and different advantages in trade for Stevens’ function in serving to keep and develop Spector’s enterprise with SEPTA. The advantages Welsh supplied to Stevens included, most importantly, tens of hundreds of {dollars} in money funds, in addition to donations to an alleged charity that Stevens pocketed, lodging and meals through the 2015 Papal Go to, frequent meals and drinks, tickets to a 2016 Barbra Streisand live performance, and funds for SEPTA annual vacation events. As Stevens demanded, Welsh additionally supplied Stevens future employment with Spector when Stevens retired from SEPTA. Through the time of this corrupt relationship, Spector maintained and obtained hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in contracts with SEPTA. Stevens performed a major function in facilitating and approving contracts for Spector and Blue Zebra, a second firm Welsh owned and established with Stevens’ help, and helped Spector win bids by giving Welsh inside details about SEPTA’s monetary analyses and in any other case collaborating with Welsh within the contracting course of. In doing so, Stevens allegedly supplied an unfair benefit to Welsh and an obstacle to different potential distributors.
“Philadelphians deserve public staff who do their jobs actually, with out corrupting the system to line their very own pockets,” stated U.S. Legal professional Romero. “As alleged within the Indictment, the defendants’ participation on this scheme was in depth: utilizing hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in public contracts to fraudulently profit themselves.”
“SEPTA exists to move folks the place they wish to go — to not transfer crooked insiders up a tax bracket,” stated Jacqueline Maguire, Particular Agent in Cost of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Stealing public cash by means of back-door offers is reprehensible and the FBI will maintain accountable anybody silly sufficient to have interaction in this sort of fraud.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Legal professional Louis D. Lappen.
An indictment, info, or prison grievance is an accusation. A defendant is presumed harmless except and till confirmed responsible.