Feds indict 12 in Philly city govt. probe

• Tweet

PHILADELPHIA, June 29 (UPI) -- A federal grand jury in Philadelphia indicted 12 people Tuesday, including some of Mayor John Street's closest associates, in a wide-ranging corruption probe.

Among those indicted were city Treasurer Corey Kemp and lawyer Ron White, a close friend of Street, KYW-AM reported.

Although the grand jury has yet to indict the mayor the grand jury had stinging words for Street.

"The mayor instructed his staff that, if White or firms he touted appeared to be qualified, the staff members should award the city business White sought, and provide White with inside information he sought regarding the operations of city agencies otherwise unavailable to the public."

Street, now in his second term of office, promptly denied any wrongdoing.

"These four and a half years I have instructed all our people that they should do nothing that violates the law or even looks like it might be improper," he said.

Prosecutors say White showered Kemp with gifts, including a deck on Kemp's home and a trip to the Super Bowl that included private jet transportation to San Diego and back, for lucrative deals with the city.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan says White and a girlfriend got nearly $1 million in fees from the city during Kemp's tenure.