Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams made good on his promise to Attorney
General Kathleen Kane to continue the investigation into city officials that she dismissed earlier this year.
Former traffic court Judge Thomasine Tynes has been charged with bribery after allegedly accepting a $2,000 Tiffany bracelet from an undercover informant who was assisting in a sting operation after he was charged with committing fraud.
The sting was part of a larger investigation started by the state Attorney General's office in 2010 under Tom Corbett's direction before he left to take office as governor. Prosecutors spent two years acquiring video and audio evidence of city Democrats allegedly accepting money.
When Kane took over the AG role in 2013, she dropped the investigation, saying the evidence was flawed and targeted African American suspects. Williams acquired the case file from Kane and hired two special investigators. He called Thursday's charges the first of many to come.
Tynes has already been caught up in the corruption charges lodged against the Philadelphia traffic court. She was acquitted of ticket-fixing, but faces sentencing for lying to authorities during the investigation.
D.A. Williams charges former traffic court judge with bribery
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