Philadelphia Traffic Court Judges Want U.S. Fraud Case Dropped
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Nine indicted judges want their ticket-fixing case involving Philadelphia Traffic Court dropped because they say no money changed hands.
At a hearing Monday, defense lawyers said the loss of potential fines does not justify the federal mail and wire fraud charges.
Lawyer Henry Hockeimer Jr. says the indictment does not allege any bribes or kickbacks, but only that traffic judges helped friends get tickets dismissed.
He says that may violate judicial conduct rules, but not federal law.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Wzorek (ZOR-ek) called it "very unusual" for the defense to argue that no money was lost because the tickets were fixed early on.
U.S. District Judge Robert Kelly promised to rule quickly.
The defendants include current and former traffic court judges. Some state lawmakers hope to abolish the court.
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