Former Philly traffic judge gets prison term

 A former Philadelphia traffic judge has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal charges of fraud and tax evasion.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that 55-year-old Robert Mulgrew apologized Wednesday to U.S. District Judge C. Darnell Jones, his family and his neighborhood before he was sentenced. The judge also ordered Mulgrew to repay the state nearly $200,000 as well as $123,000 in back federal taxes and fines.

Mulgrew pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a scheme to steal tens of thousands of dollars in state grant money for a nonprofit neighborhood improvement group.

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Mulgrew was vice president of the Friends of Dickinson Square group. Prosecutors say he pocketed its money and spent it on things including leases for personal vehicles and an $800 camera.

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