Man pleads guilty to Philadelphia Parking Authority extortion attempt

It doesn’t matter whether Rocco Martinez actually caught a Philadelphia Parking Authority enforcement officer agreeing to remove a ticket in exchange for a gift, because Martinez went ahead and tried to extort the PPA for money in exchange for the video.

Martinez, 30, pleaded guilty today and will be sentenced later this year for the scheme.According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Martinez sought money from the PPA when it asked to investigate the video, despite the fact that it would be illegal for a government agency to pay for evidence. Martinez probably should have been concerned when PPA Executive Director Vince Fenerty agreed to meet with him, but instead agreed to hand over the video, erase is from his computer and stop shopping it to media outlets in exhcange for $500 from the PPA.

Instead of $500, Martinez is now facing up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He’ll be senteced in December