Gift Giving Controversy Hangs Over Philadelphia District Attorney
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A staggering gift-giving controversy is now hanging over Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams. There were personal and professional "tokens of appreciation," from 2010 to 2015, that Williams admittedly failed to disclose.
The documents filed this week with the ethics board tell the story.
The most expensive gift, the new $45,000 roof on Williams' Overbrook home, paid for by a New Jersey contractor who is said to be a friend.
Williams was not home when we knocked on his door, but his neighbor Patrick Dougherty wanted to talk with us about the questions swirling about the DA.
"I know him on a personal level," Dougherty said. "He's got a lot of stress. He has two daughters in private school. He has a lot of work load being the district attorney in the fifth largest city," Dougherty said of his neighbor.
The documents show vacations, including one to Punta Cana and airfare paid for by friends. A Philadelphia judge gifted Williams tickets to the Phillies and a trip to Atlantic City.
"The judge, Scott DiClaudio, did not immediately get back to us. A woman who answered the phone said the criticism was the price Williams and the judge were paying for being lifelong friends.
A spokesman for Williams' campaign told us: "All of these gifts were from close family and friends. He did make the mistake of not disclosing them and that's what's at issue here."
