Philadelphia Controller Giving Feds Results Of Sheriff’s Office Audit

November 16, 2011 2:27 PM

(Philadelphia city controller Alan Butkovitz with a copy of the audit of the sheriff’s department. Credit: Mark Abrams)

Reporting Mark Abrams

Filed under

Crime and Justice, Heard On, Local, News, Philadelphia, Politics, Syndicated Local, Watch + Listen

Election Returns

Check Out

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Philadelphia city controller Alan Butkovitz says he’s turned over to the US attorney for further review the results of a recently completed audit of the Philadelphia sheriff’s office.

Butkovitz says a forensic audit conducted by an accounting firm hired by his office — with the blessing and financial support of city officials — uncovered evidence that former sheriff John Green allowed a political contributor and the contributor’s consulting business to essentially take over the sheriff’s real estate division.

“Basically, (he) let them take whatever they wanted to take, let them charge whatever they wanted to charge, let them have unsupervised access to millions of dollars,” says Butkovitz, “and as a result, there are many people in Philadelphia who’ve lost their homes and lost everything who didn’t have to.”

And, Butkovitz says, the audit discovered that the now former director of the sheriff’s real-estate division, Crystal Stewart, is the sister of the owner of that firm — James Davies Jr., head of Reach Communications Specialists and RCS Searchers Inc.

Butkovitz refused to say whether he believed there is evidence of criminal activity, but noted this is the first time he has ever turned over an audit to federal authorities for further investigation.

Reported by Mark Abrams, KYW Newsradio 1060

MOST VIEWED GALLERIES

PHOTOS: Angelina Jolie Through The Years

PHOTOS: Celebrity Infidelity Scandals

PHOTOS: Celebrity Birthdays: May

PHOTOS: Top 20 Most Hated Hollywood Celebrities

PHOTOS: Celebrity Photobombs

Philadelphia Controller Giving Feds Results Of Sheriffs Office Audit

Carin

I am awaiting my 10% whistleblowers fee. Alan you made me wait greater than 6 years before you took the matter by the seat of its pants! You paid the city, the state, and the accounting firm. The last I checked they do not vote in this city… what about the people who elect and the foreclosure victims who are overdue millions. Home for the holiday campaign is very WEAK…
cher

Well, dont talk as if the sheriff office is the only corrupt agency in philly, Philly is a corrupt city, period. I moved to philly and when doing busines in philly from the smallest contractor to the biggest company, all independents, are corrupt. They overcharge and always send you a residual bill as an after thought. If you pay it they win, if you ignore it, you never hear from them again. Other entities turned their backs on Green corruption because they were involved in their own corrupt activities themselves. Why blow the whistle to put you own acts under the radar. Live and let live, their attitudes are. Green stepped on somebodyt toe and that is why they finally ratted on him. THe entire philadelphia need a clean up, literally anf figuratively. Please get off the self righteous horse and check yourself, whoever. What’s in your closet?!!!!
PS: Got taken by REACH myself. $250 to move a man out of a house I bought at the sheriff sales. Had to finally march up to the house and ask the man to move myself. He simply left that same day. Which made me think REACH did nothing at all for my 250. So I wrote them a letter about their thievery. Didnt give me back my moeny. Look, you go to the sheriff sale and the corruption was thick. Here’s Reach with a desk center stage bidding on houses for absentees. You figure REACH had to likely have the know on the houses as opposed to the starry-eyed bidder walking in off the streets. It was clear to me, a nobody, so how about the boys with the PHD’s. Hope they dont come after me for this, LOL. But I wished I had kept my receipt. Maybe I’d get my money back after this fall out. But I have moved on though. Just glad to see something is being done about corruption that seem to run rampant in Philly. I just hope Sheriff Green isn’t the poster boy. Mr Butkowitz, dont just stop there, ther’s plenty corrupt agencies waiting to be discovered in philly.
H.E. Pennypacker

Jewell Williams is the now Sheriff-elect. Will he follow the little pressure that has been put on by the media and community voices to disband this public office or will he keep it running with “promises” of change and reform.

How can the remaining resident of this city allow for 17 total City Council Seats and “elected” positions of Sheriff and Register of Wills! I would like to run for dog catcher of Philadelphia when the next election cycle happens. But I probably can’t because the political machines already in place have their friends / families / cronies already in line for the job. The Philadelphia City Charter needs to be updated!
Carolyn

Nothing surprises me, when it comes to the City of Philadelphia and how many empoyees are related to one another, which is why they got their JOB…