Trial date postponed in Farnese case
The upcoming corruption trial for state Sen. Lawrence M. Farnese Jr. (D) has been postponed for at least 45 days. The trial was set to begin Aug. 16, but attorneys for Farnese’s co-defendant, Ellen Chapman, requested more time to prepare. A federal judge approved the request on July 6.
Farnese is accused of bribing Chapman — an Eighth Ward committeemember — in order to ensure his 2011 election as Democratic leader of the ward.
Farnese allegedly diverted $6,000 in campaign funds to help pay the college tuition of Chapman’s daughter.
Farnese and Chapman are charged with conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud and related offenses. They deny the allegations.
If the case can’t be settled without a trial, Farnese and Chapman will have a joint trial, with U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe presiding, according to court records.
The Eighth Ward is a political subdivision, largely in Center City west of Broad. It serves as a conduit to party leadership, and it’s a source of information during campaigns and elections.
City urges dismissal of cop suit
On June 24, city officials filed another lengthy pleading in the case of Detective Kenneth Rossiter, who claims he was wrongfully fired due to his membership in the Fraternal Order of Police.
Rossiter, who’s investigated several LGBT-related murder cases, was fired in July 2012. But an arbitrator ordered him reinstated nine months later, with full back pay and benefits.
When announcing Rossiter’s firing, then-Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey accused him of overtime abuses.
In his federal suit, Rossiter claims his firing was retaliatory, due to his union membership. He’s seeking an unspecified amount in compensatory and punitive damages from the city.
In December, U.S. District Judge Gerald A. McHugh denied the city’s request that Rossiter’s suit be tossed out. But the city filed an interim appeal with the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, seeking the suit’s dismissal before it can go to a jury.
In its June 24 filing, city attorneys stated that Rossiter’s firing didn’t violate any of his federal rights as a union member.
In 2007, Rossiter helped secure a first-degree murder conviction for Barry Mason, who shot to death Jamil Burton, an openly gay youth, after an alleged robbery in Center City. Mason died in prison in April 2015.
Hearing set in church abuse case
A discovery hearing has been set in the case of Deborah McIlmail, who’s suing the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for allegedly contributing to her son Sean’s death.
Discovery disputes have plagued the case, and a hearing is set for 1 p.m. July 25 in Courtroom 246 of City Hall.
Sean McIlmail allegedly was molested by the Rev. Robert L. Brennan between 1998-2001, while Sean was a student at Resurrection of Our Lord Catholic School in Rhawnhurst.
Sean died in 2013 at the age of 26 due to a drug overdose.
McIlmail holds Brennan; Brennan’s former supervisor, Msgr. William J. Lynn; and the archdiocese responsible for Sean’s death.
She’s seeking damages in excess of $50,000, according to court records.
Brennan was arrested and charged with forcible rape in September 2013, but he was released from jail the following month, after Sean died.
Brennan, 78, is retired and lives in Perryville, Md. In court papers, he denies molesting Sean.
Lynn, 65, is incarcerated at a state prison in Waymart due to a child-endangerment conviction in a different case.
