Philadelphia clerk accused of selling city records

The Inspector General alleges the clerk pocketed over $185,000 by selling records for $5 a piece.

A Philadelphia city employee and three others have been charged in a scheme to sell public records on the black market. A city clerk allegedly netted close to $200,000.

A records clerk and three people who worked for businesses that needed incident, accident and other reports are facing federal charges. Records clerk Kelly Kaufmann Layre allegedly copied records that would usually cost $20 to $25 and sell them for $5 a piece, pocketing the money.

Inspector General Amy Kurland says it was a massive undertaking.

“The total reports that Miss Layre provided to these individuals was over 24,000. She personally received over $185,000 which she kept and the lost to the city, the amount the city should have received if the individuals were actually paying for these reports was $600,415.”

The four could each face ten years in jail if convicted. The city is working to make sure records department accountability is tightened to prevent this from happening again.