Philly traffic judge admits role in ticket-fixing
A Philadelphia judge has acknowledged fixing traffic tickets for people with connections to the system. H. Warren Hogeland pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to mail fraud and conspiracy.
Hogeland was one of nine traffic court judges charged with dismissing or reducing citations for friends, family, associates and political allies.
The other 8 cases are pending. Defense attorneys have suggested that judges made no money from the favors, and that the court has worked that way for a century.
Prosecutors say such behavior kept unsafe drivers on the road and deprived the city and state of revenue from the violations.
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