Tuesday, March 21, 2017

FRAUD AND CORRUPTION EVERYWHERE: corruption charges against Democratic Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams after failed to report $160,000 in "gifts"





Federal officials to announce corruption charges against Philadelphia DA Seth Williams



Federal officials are set to announce corruption charges against Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams, Action News has learned. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Updated 3 mins ago
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Federal officials are set to announce corruption charges against Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams, Action News has learned.

Further details were not immediately available.

A news conference is set for 3 p.m. Tuesday involving the U.S. Attorney's office for the district of New Jersey, the FBI, Homeland Security, and the IRS.

You can watch that news conference when it happens on 6abc and 6abc.com.

The district attorney's office refused to comment on Tuesday, saying Williams was not in the office because he is spending time with family.

"I ask that you respect his privacy and the privacy of the men and women of the office so all of us can continue to do our jobs without the distraction of additional media attention," said communications director Cameron L. Kline.

Back in February, Williams announced he would not run for a third term amid an FBI investigation into $160,000 in gifts that he failed to report.

The Democrat later reported taking a new roof, a $2,700 couch and luxury vacations, including the use of a defense lawyer's home in the Florida Keys. Williams has agreed to pay $62,000 in related ethics fines.

During his February news conference, Williams apologized for "mistakes in my personal life and in my personal financial life that cast an unnecessary shadow over my office."

Williams, 50, said in February he intended to stay in the $175,000-a-year job through January.

He previously served as the city's inspector general, overseeing investigations into corruption within the city government. In college, he was the student body president at Penn State University. He is also the city's first African-American district attorney.