Defense attorney says Tynes getting a good deal on bribery charge

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Former Philadelphia Traffic Court Judge Thomasine Tynes plans to plead guilty to charges that Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane thought could not be prosecuted.  

 

Kane’s office gave up on a sting operation as biased and bungled, but the Philly District Attorney charged Tynes and now will get a plea.

 

A noted Philadelphia defense attorney is not surprised. 

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A. Charles Peruto Jr. says he would have advised Thomasine Tynes to enter a guilty plea to conflict of interest under the arrangement outlined in her federal sentencing memo.

“It means absolutely nothing, she was already convicted of perjury, they are lumping it together, there’s a deal that she won’t get one additional day,” Peruto said.

Tynes was already going to be sentenced for lying to a grand jury about ticket fixing in traffic court. She’s pleading guilty to conflict of interest instead tougher charges such as bribery. 

Peruto says he believes the deal is about D.A. Seth Williams proving he could prosecute a case that the A.G. Kane kicked to the curb.

“It makes Seth Williams victorious over Kathleen Kane because she viewed it as unprosecutable, and now low and behold he gets a conviction, it’s just window dressing,” he said.

Williams declined a request for comment.

 

Tynes is scheduled to be sentenced in December.

 

When Williams brought charges against Tynes, he urged others involved in the sting operation to come forward before other indictments follow.  Several Philadelphia-are state lawmakers were implicated in the sting but have yet to be charged.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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