The local chapter of the National Organization for Women is urging District Attorney Seth Williams to dismiss three staffers involved in a pornographic email ring that’s been described as misogynistic, racist and homophobic.
But Williams says the staffers will receive sensitivity training and he’ll continue to employ them.
The staffers involved in the porn ring are Frank G. Fina, E. Marc Costanzo and Patrick J. Blessington. They didn’t reply to emails from PGN seeking comment.
When participating in the porn ring, they were employees of the state Office of the Attorney General. Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane unearthed the porn when reviewing a prior administration’s handling of the Jerry Sandusky child-abuse scandal.
The porn ring uncovered by Kane includes dozens of images depicting lesbian sex in a bizarre and degrading manner.
For example, a 32-image pictorial circulated by Fina entitled “Blonde Banana Split” shows two women inserting bananas into their vaginas and anuses. Another pictorial displays nude women on a buffet table alongside chafing dishes. Other images depict women-only orgies.
Several emails contain crude references to women, including “bitch,” “whore” and “beaver.” According to one email, the word “wife” stands for “washing, ironing, fucking, etc.” Another email states the goal of a “bitch” is to “dominate, control and destroy a man’s finances, mental health, self-esteem and any hope for happiness.”
A caption alongside the image of a full-figured woman states: “Epic boobs can turn heterosexual females into lesbians in 0.39 seconds.”
In some images, objects are inserted inside orifices of naked women, including a beer glass and a yo-yo.
The emails and images are stored in a large three-ring binder at the state Supreme Court’s Office of the Prothonotary in City Hall. There are 20 emails and hundreds of images, totaling 398 pages.
Fina, a lead investigator in the Sandusky case, sent and/or received the emails. Blessington and Costanzo received some emails, but didn’t send any.
Fina sent an email indicating that an image he received showed too much male anatomy. “How friggin gay can you be?” he asked the sender. But Fina didn’t tell the man to stop sending porn.
In another email, Fina indicated his favorite image was of a woman in a rainbow thong, with a caption underneath stating: “Rainbows: Not as Gay as You Might Think.”
An email received by Fina states that a man is probably “gay” if he scrolls past an image of a naked woman and reads an accompanying recipe for an Italian dish.
A few of the images depict children in disturbing poses. One image shows a young boy tugging at the panties of a young girl and looking inside. Another image shows an adult holding a wide-open Playboy magazine directly in front of the face of a male infant, training him to be a “man.”
Other emails mock major religions and contain demeaning portrayals of African-Americans.
In a recent statement, Williams said he consulted with a panel of advisers before deciding to retain Fina, Costanzo and Blessington. Williams didn’t publicly identify the members of the panel.
In his statement, Williams said there’s no evidence the three staffers sent or received pornography while working at the Philadelphia D.A.’s Office, and noted that they appear to have regret and remorse.
Dr. Nina Ahmad, president of Philadelphia NOW, said the three should be dismissed, even if they receive sensitivity training.
“Knowing these men have engaged in such egregious behavior destroys the confidence that they will carry out their duties free of bias,” Ahmad said. “I told [Williams] that Philadelphia NOW feels that these men have become distractions in the D.A.’s Office and their continued employment undermines public safety resulting from the lack of confidence in the office.”
Ahmad added: “The D.A.’s cavalier treatment of this matter leaves us underwhelmed. As the public is becoming more aware of what exactly transpired and the nature of the email content, we are hearing of their outrage. Philadelphia NOW is continuing to weigh its options about further actions in this matter.”
Ahmad said it’s inconsequential if two of the staffers received — but didn’t send — pornographic emails.
Babette Josephs, a former state representative, agreed with Ahmad that all three staffers should be dismissed.
“This type of despicable pornography breeds disdain for women, LGBT individuals and children,” Josephs told PGN. “It interferes with respect for crime survivors and the families of victims, and it’s the antithesis of law enforcement. Seth Williams should dismiss these individuals immediately. If he doesn’t, he’s no different than church officials who protected child-abusing priests and who were charged by Mr. Williams with serious crimes.”
On Sept. 21, PGN filed an open-records request for the salary, job title and other information pertaining to the employment of Fina, Costanzo and Blessington.
An open-records officer for the D.A.’s Office said there will be a delay in responding to the request due to the visit of Pope Francis.