American Hustle II: How A 3-Year Philadelphia Politico Sting Unfolded

Craig R. McCoy, Anglea Couloumbis, and Jennifer Lin at the Philadelphia Inquirer offer a piece on the backstory of the sting operation that caught Philadelphia politicans taking money and gifts on tape.

The sting operation is now controversal, as the case was dropped by the Pennsyvania Attorney General, who, like the politicians caught on tape, is a Democrat.

You can read the story via the below link:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20140323_A_3-year_saga__How_the_sting_unfolded.html

You can also read a piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer by Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams, also a Democrat, who blasts the PA Attorney General for not prosecuting the case, via the below link:

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20140323_Kane_s_account_of_case_doesn_t_add_up.html  

And you can read a piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer by Frank Fina, the sting's prosecutor, via the below link:

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20140323_Kane_should_explain_actions_to_the_public_on_the_record.html

And you can also read an earlier post on the politico sting via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2014/03/committee-of-seventy-urges-pennsylvania.html

Committee Of Seventy Urges Pennsylvania General Assembly To Create An Independent Counsel To Investigate Dismissed Three-Year Philadelphia Sting Operation

The Committee of Seventy, a non-partisan organization, today issued the below release:

The Committee of Seventy today urged the Pennsylvania General Assembly to quickly allow for the creation of an independent counsel to conduct a fair and non-partisan investigation into a dismissed three-year sting operation that allegedly captured on tape four state representatives taking money from an undercover informant. The operation, which also involved a former traffic court judge accepting a bracelet, was reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer yesterday.

... Attorney General Kathleen Kane said she dropped the "botched" and "deeply flawed" sting operation, which took place before she took office, after learning "there may have been a racial focus to the targets of the investigation, improper reporting, inadequate resources and inadmissible evidence." Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams called Kane's suggestion of racism "ridiculous" and "explosive."

You can read the rest of the press release via the below link:

http://www.seventy.org/Downloads/Seventy_urges_Appointment_of_Independent_Counsel_in_AG_probe.pdf

You can also read Angela Couloumbis and Craig R. McCoy's Philadelphia Inquirer piece on the dismissed sting operation via the below link:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20140316_Kane_shut_down_sting_that_snared_Phila__officials.html

And you can read my Crime Beat column on Philadelphia's corrupt and contented past via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2010/07/politicians-dubious-prison-sentence-bug.html

Note: Above is the official photo of PA Attorney General Kathleen Kane.