3 Plead Guilty In Fraud Targeting Philadelphia Sheriff's Office
By Tony Hanson
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Three men charged with fraud linked to the Philadelphia sheriff's department pleaded guilty today, and a fourth man -- a former employee in the sheriff's department accounting office -- is scheduled to plead guilty next week.
Former employee Richard Bell is charged with writing hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent checks drawn on sheriff's office accounts, and the other three defendants -- Robert Rogers, Jakiem Wright, and Reginald Berry -- have now pleaded guilty, admitting they shared in the proceeds of this fraud (see previous story).
Prosecutors and attorneys for the three defendants who pleaded guilty would not comment on whether any of these defendants is cooperating in the ongoing investigation. Some documents related to the case have been ordered under seal, meaning they cannot be made public now. It's not known if they are related to possible cooperation.
