Pennsylvania’s biggest trial in quite some time just got a new judge.
According to Robert Moran of the Inquirer, Montgomery County Court President William Furber has picked a replacement. Apparently, he felt his office would prevent him from devoting enough time to this high-profile case.
Judge Wendy Demchick-Alloy will now conduct the trial.
Demchick-Alloy was a prosecutor in Philadelphia during the 1980’s and then worked in the Montco District Attorney’s office. She has been a judge since 2010.
Like Furber, Demchick-Alloy is a Republican, which may be used as a line of defense by the Democratic Attorney General’s team.
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108 Responses
Karen K — Well said. There is most certainly a need for the FBI to start looking into what is going on. I have been saying it for months.
There is also no doubt that the people pursuing Kane (since she discovered their racist, women-hating e-mails) are the worst of the worst.
If you want to know about Frank Fina, just read the accounts of regular people who had to deal with him. Read Aaron Fisher’s book. He was one of Sandusky’s child victims. He is VERY critical of Fina. And who could blame him. Fina and Corbett let Sandusky remain free to continue attacking children for 30 some months while they dragged their feet looking for the “slam dunk” case. Sandusky should have been in cuffs as soon as the first victim came forward and was corroborated. But we know that Sandusky’s charity gave Corbett tons of money. We also know that Corbett approved state money to go to Sandusky’s charity (where he found his victims, BTW) after the victims started coming forward.
Ha3 — You forgot the part where Repervlican Justice Castlle authorized Repervlican Judge in MontCo to go forward with the “investigation.” And how the Repervlican Supreme Court Justice illegally leaked grand jury material detrimental to Kane while in NY for the PA Society shenanigans. Has he been indicted for that leak? Why did he even have access to grand jury material from a Montgomery County grand jury investigation?
There ain’t gonna be no guilty plea!!!
AG Kane has done a very good job standing up to these bullies. Most just fold when the bullies come after them; AG Kane has stood tall. It is actually quite fascinating.
Miost reasonable observers now know that Fina & The Corbett Pervs were/are behind the trumped-up charges filed against her. And – to recap: Fina went to a Repervlican Judge who appointed a Repervlican friend of his as “Special Prosecutor.” He filed his ridiculous grand jury report filled with he said/she said nonsense. The matter went to a Repervlican DA who, despite her party affiliation, saw the case for the nonsense that it is and spent MONTHS trying to find real evidence. The case is now assigned to a Repervlican Judge who is a close friend of the Repervlican DA who charged Kane and the Repervlican “Special Prosecutor” who investigated her.
And … Oh yeah … there were TONS of illegal leaks from that investigation … the same kind of leaks for which Kane is now charged.
If Kevin Steele s smart, he takes a look at what has happened to everybody else who has gotten involved with this circular firing squad. He should just concentrate on Cosby!!
Has Kane plead guilty yet?
So the sitting AG of Pennsylvania tries to silence witnesses by criminally leaking GJ testimony…and we’re supposed to believe the non evidence of no underlying crime of unelected bureaucrats is worse because Democrat hacks have a suspicion that they think they can fool the less than half brained voters with? Keep trying losers.
3 easy questions still await.
The feds probably know that some of the city council members calling for finas firing, may have been being investigated by fina. No wonder they want him out of the way.
Speaking of Judges – does that one Judge in MontCo still think that a black helicopter piloted by Kane is following him around?
anyone here suggesting that kane has done anything worse than the slime that has lined up against kane is a liar or an idiot. the criminal charges are trumped up hog wash designed to quiet her and orchestrated by the people she had the goods on. i still have serious concerns with the sneaky deal arranged by prosecutors and defense counsel at the 11th hour before kane took office in harrisburg. what was the rush? why was it under seal? why didn’t the criminal have to pay back the money? and if it is true that the prosecutor is now being represented by the lawyer he negotiated that deal with – then the fbi better start looking into this!
That’s because they’re still not germane b/c there’s no underlying crime that you can come up with. And there’s no comparing Fina with the state AG, the subject of the thread. This is a huge story and not even you believe her defense! You can’t even compare her to the other high ranking official, Eakin, having repeatedly failed to produce one email equal to a tenth of her crimes.
Ewwwwww … Now the troll is talking about adolescent’s dancing …. Yikes!
Poor thing. he must get sick of getting OWNED here. BTW – These questions are STILL very “germane” —
Did Seth Williams have or know of the Beemer Memo before he hired Fina and took on his “sting” case that improperly targeted Blacks? Did he know that Fina sent disturbing e-mails to his white male friends before he hired Fina? Before Williams brought charges in the “sting” case?
Is it just a coincidence that the person he just hired to fill a high-paid position (“Chief of Staff” and “General Counsel”) that he just created out of nowhere happens to be the wife of Fina’s lawyer? And that Fina’s lawyer who stands to gain from Fina’s $$$-driven lawsuit against the AG’s Office just so happens to be Tyron Ali’s lawyer? Doesn’t that seem fishy?
And what about the qualifications of Fina’s lawyer’s wife to have such a high-paid job at the DA’s Office? She has just about no prosecutorial experience. And she has zero general counsel experience. Doesn’t that seem fishy?
Did this woman interview with the HR folks before she walked off the street into that newly created role? Did she interview with, or get vetted by, the Hiring Committee?
I keep asking these questions; but no one seems willing to answer them … …
Don’t worry P, he’s said he wouldn’t respond to me several times. Once just hours ago.
I ask what’s Fina’s crime so he tells me Mcaffery’s and does a dance like an adolescent.
One of the funnest and dumbest PPA commenters I’ve dealt with in years. So easy to push his buttons. He runs away for a while when I embarrass him but then his psychosis gets the better of him so he comes back for more hurt.
Hack3 spouts off, but never addresses the question posed, which is why he thinks Granahan should not be immediately fired for doing the same as others? So he throws mud and deflects instead. Really a sad soul.
Oh look. The pathetic troll is getting ALL UPSET …. lmao … with his ALL CAPS …
Now that I know that “Pericles” is just another screen-name for the troll-boy, I will never again respond to him substantively.
But I will point out that the description of Granahan’s e-mails were very disturbing (even they were not as bad as the racist, misogyny-filled, vile material that Fina criminally distributed); that’s why I suggested that she should be indicted if she used her State computer on that inappropriate material.
HACK3, I guess Granahan’s racist emails about asians do not count on your meter as disgusting. Perhaps because you thought they were funny and dislike Asians yourself. OH, BUT I FORGOT YOU HAVE NOT SEEN HER EMAILS, BUT SOMEHOW KNOW THE CONTENT OF THEM IS LESS VILE THAN OF OTHERS’ EMAILS. Hmmm, I cannot seem to figure that one out.
Liars lie when the truth is not on their side. Try to backtrack and make up another story. People like you are sickening and a waste of all of our time. Goodnight Hack3.
Here’s Castille when the e-mails in question were Democrat McCaffery’s:
Castille noted that McCaffery had sent “an email depicting a naked 100-year old woman as the target of a sexually explicit joke and a video of a woman in sexual congress with a snake that is clearly obscene and may violate the Crimes Code section on obscenity.”
Note that he thinks the porn itself may be CRIMINAL!!!
Is the truth deafening, troll-boy? Castille was a Supreme Court Justice. And an elected D.A. He most certainly would be an authority on the CRIMINALITY of the e-mails that he himself reviewed.
Ron Castille seems to think that Fina’s e-mails would be a violation of the Crimes Code.
I ask simple questions like:
1. Do you believe Kane’s defense?
Or
2. Can you produce one Eakin email that’s done a tenth the damage AG Kane’s blackmail and whistle-blower firings?
The silence in response has been deafening.
Here’s another easy one for you:
3. Fill in the blank. Fina’s worst/any crime is ____.
I agree, no crimes committed anywhere below the level of AG. I don’t know why it takes Hahaha so many words to say nothing that comes close to a state Attorney General that blackmails, fires whistleblowers and commits crimes pursuing her personal “War.”
Pericles – You must have also missed the MANY reports about the contents of the e-mails. Fina’s have been described in detail – and they included pictures of women performing oral sex on their male bosses – with slogans implying that’s what women needed to do to advance their careers. Granahan did not send around anything like that.
And – of course – Granahan did not send around anything like this (like Fina did to his white male buddies):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/zadock1/3580634808
The “hacks” were the people (like you, maybe) who once tried to call material like that “sophomoric” or “slap-stick humor. It’s not. It is hate-filled, vile garbage.
Thanks for playing!
As a further emphasis on how the Montco Courts are as corrupt as ever, “Judge” Demchick, best friend and running-mate of Frank Carluccio’s wife Judge Carolyn Carluccio, also gave remarks at Risa Vetri’s swearing in yesterday, to wit:
“Ferman’s longtime friend and colleague, Judge Wendy Demchick-Alloy, a former prosecutor who cofounded the Montgomery Child Advocacy Project with Ferman, described Ferman as “bright, intuitive, tenacious, visionary, dynamic, compassionate and always mindful of the bigger picture.” ”
Risa has done everything she could to abet the Repube scheme so far, and is passing on the torch to her best buddy.
Apparently, not a single judge in the Montco Courthouse can be bothered to read the Canons of Judicial Ethics section on Appearance of Impropriety and Conflict of Interests, from the president judge on down. Furber could have FOUND a more-conflicted judge if he tried.
HA3, I did not miss any of your skewed statements. Your approach and treatment of others is again evidence of your bias. Explain, if Fina and Costanzo should be immediately terminated for emails, then why should Granahan not be immediately terminated? It seems what you are saying is let the special prosecutor hired by her sister make a determination on Granahan’s emails and if she did something illegal, then she should be indicted. You never mention whether she should be fired if she is indicted. Also, lets give the same deference to Fina and Costanza. You are not saying that, rather you are saying lets fire those two right now — and wait to see what is found out about Granahan. You obviously reviewed F and C’s emails and made a determination of their guilt, but you said you had not reviewed Granahan’s. Oddly, though, In your latest post you said hers were not as vile as theirs. Which begs the question: how would you know theirs are more vile than hers because you told us you had never seen hers. Sounds to me like you are lying and that you are a political hack.
These questions are very “germane” —
Did Seth Williams have or know of the Beemer Memo before he hired Fina and took on his “sting” case that improperly targeted Blacks? Did he know that Fina sent disturbing e-mails to his white male friends before he hired Fina? Before he brought charges in the “sting” case?
Is it just a coincidence that the person he just hired to fill a high-paid position (“Chief of Staff” and “General Counsel”) that he just created out of nowhere happens to be the wife of Fina’s lawyer? And that Fina’s lawyer who stands to gain from Fina’s $$$-driven lawsuit against the AG’s Office just so happens to be Tyron Ali’s lawyer? Doesn’t that seem fishy?
And what about the qualifications of Fina’s lawyer’s wife to have such a high-paid job at the DA’s Office? She has just about no prosecutorial experience. And she has zero general counsel experience. Doesn’t that seem fishy?
Did this woman interview with the HR folks before she walked off the street into that newly created role? Did she interview with, or get vetted by, the Hiring Committee?
I keep asking them; but no one seems willing to try to answer them … …
Pericles – You must have missed the part where I repeatedly typed that Kane should go to jail if she illegally leaked protected grand jury material. And also the times when I have said that Granahan heeds to be indicted if she sent inappropriate e-mails from her State computer (even if they were not as bad as the vile, racist women-hating crap that Fina sent around).
GET A CLUE.
If HA3 thinks that Fina and Costanzo should be immediately terminated for the emails they sent, then he needs to step back and open another tab on his computer and type in Granahan emails. Then come back to us and do not tell us the Special Prosecutor will sort it out. Rather come back and tell us that Granahan should be fired as well — because she did the same thing. Also, what about Kane’s driver/lover? Should he be fired for being found guilty of a felony? And her chief of staff who was sexually molesting women in the office. Should he get to stay or should he go. You see, HA3 if all you ever do is come down on Fina and Costanzo and then whitewash all that Kane and her crew have done, the you are nothing but a political hack.
No one who smokescreens for Kane will address any of germane facts. They prefer to cover/distract for Kane because she’s a Democrat who will have a long embarrassing trial that will end up with her in jail. That’s appropriate given her position and her crimes. Read the first 50 comments before illustrating ignorance.
At ease, gentle ones. When Pittsburgh’s Bazzano-Zappala-Porter mafia takes over the A.G.’s office, they will re -install integrity, transparency and the rule of law…bringing it back in line with the way they had it under their former garbage man, Tommy Corbett.
I have noticed that the Kane-detractors have filed to address all of Ha3’s points. Typing “she’s a criminal” and “jail is coming” really doesn’t cut it. It may be true — and I hope it is if Kane illegally leaked protected grand jury material. We will find out at her trial.
In the meantime – Seth Williams is going on TV screaming about Kane rather than cleaning up his own house. What Kane does (or doesn’t do) at the AG’s Office should have no bearing on Seth Williams doing the right thong in his Offiice. Kane is a mess. Her Office is a mess. Williams seems to be trying to emulate that. Not sure why.
The questions Ha3 raises may help answer some of those “why” questions. Williams is now persona non grata in Philadelphia. His only friends seem to be people trying to profit from Fina’s money seeking case against the State of Pennsylvania.
And the FBI is still investigating him. Jail may be coming for him too, right? Who knows. But I do know that the “coincidence” Ha3 discusses at length below is too big to really be a coincidence.
this is stupid. kane clearly relied on beemer’s written memo; who cares if he changed his story later?? i wouldn’t trust any of these people lined up against kane as far as i could toss ’em. they are all snakes. and it is infuriating that the prosecutor let the crook keep the money he swindled.
Not even Hahaha(and all his other names) will claim to believe KK’s defense! Not a one of them. (Maybe he has half a brain?)
Jail is coming.
I don’t know hahaha, sounds like you’re lamenting that Kane didn’t get her way and these politicians aren’t still in office representing Philadelphians and setting their example of how to keep the public trust.
HaHaHa is such a douche. Anybody know what Fina prosecuted him for?
This article is about the “new” Judge in Kane case. Is it true what Observer says? Is the new Judge really friends with the special prosecutor? Is she really friends with Risa Ferman?
BTW – Has Eakin resigned yet?
Mr. Scoreboard,
I will assume (for now) that you are not the troll/shill who uses many different screen names and respond substantively.
The “scoreboard” here shows that the allegedly corrupt legislators got to keep their pensions, did no jail time, and (in some cases) got their records expunged.
And there is more to being a prosecutor than minding the scoreboard. The questions I raise below are not an indictment of Williams for “taking on” the sting case. They are what I said they are – questions:
Did he have or know of the Beemer Memo before he hired Fina and took on his “sting” case that improperly targeted Blacks? Did he know that Fina sent disturbing e-mails to his white male friends before he hired Fina? Before he brought charges in the “sting” case?
Is it just a coincidence that the person he just hired to fill a high-paid position (“Chief of Staff” and “General Counsel”) that he just created out of nowhere happens to be the wife of Fina’s lawyer? And that Fina’s lawyer who stands to gain from Fina’s $$$-driven lawsuit against the AG’s Office just so happens to be Tyron Ali’s lawyer? Doesn’t that seem fishy to you, Mr. Scoreboard?
And what about the qualifications of Fina’s lawyer’s wife to have such a high-paid job at the DA’s Office? She has just about no prosecutorial experience. And she has zero general counsel experience. Doesn’t that seem fishy to you, Mr. Scoreboard?
Did this woman interview with the HR folks before she walked off the street into that newly created role? Did she interview with the Hiring Committee?
None of these questions has anything to do with the scoreboard. But the scoreboard is also showing that Williams’ career has been just about destroyed by his decision to get into bed with Frank Fina.
I agree Scoreboard, Kane failed, wait no, she betrayed Philadelphia.
Maybe those with less than half a brain will get it when the movie comes out.
Poor Ha3 relying on old, out-dated and factually incorrect news articles. READ the RELEASED GJ materials including emails from Linda Dale Hoffa on May 23, and the notes that BEEMER TESTIFIED that NO RACIAL TARGETING EXISTED…NONE…NADA…”Beemer believed the case was viable”…Beemer testifed “evidence of racial targeting doesn’t exist.
FACTS MATTER. Should I screech “owned”???
Apparently the problems you see in the corruption cases didn’t prevent their convictions. Although, Kane tried to stop them and keep them in office, for the good of Philadelphians, Williams held them to account. How you like them apples?
From a Daily News article:
“In the May 21, 2013, memo, Beemer advised Kane to drop any criminal case against Bishop and four other black state legislators
“[T]here is significant evidence of certain legislators engaging in illegal and unethical practices,” Beemer wrote. “This information, however, pales in comparison to the problems that exist in this case.”
One problem, noted Beemer, is that top prosecutors seemingly pushed to “focus only on members of the Legislative Black Caucus,” which Beemer described as “shocking” and potentially crippling to an effective prosecution.
Perhaps the biggest problem, Beemer asserted, is the “unjust” plea deal granted by Fina to Ali.
A grand jury had indicted Ali on charges that he stole roughly $431,840 from 2004 to 2007 in taxpayer money earmarked to provide low-income children and senior citizens with nutritious meals. Ali used the money for personal gain, including traveling, dining, clothing, jewelry, car payments and insurance payments. In all, the grand jury slapped him with 2,088 criminal counts in 2009.”
LOL … Owned again!!
Ha3 Perhaps you need to read this and correct your facts and lies about the Beemer memo, Ali, etc.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/293446788/Commonwealth-vs-Louise-Bishop
You sound like an I***t spewing your venom. What did you go to jail for???
Since when is any of that a crime?
Has Eakin been arrested yet?
http://mobile.philly.com/beta?wss=/philly/news&id=364326581
Pat — I agree that Williams is coming off poorly with that response. He may have a point about Kane being as irresponsible as he is, though.
I haven’t seen Granaahan’s e-mails. If she used her State computer on inappropriate material, she should be indicted! The Special Prosecutor will get to the bottom of it.
But the fact that another person (or 22 other people) also sent inappropriate e-mails does not excuse Williams, Fina and Costanzo. In fact – the hiring of Fina’s lawyer’s wife at the DA’s Office raises even more questions.
IMO – Seth Williams has a lot of questions to answer. Did he have or know of the Beemer Memo before he hired Fina and took on his “sting” case that improperly targeted Blacks? Did he know that Fina sent disturbing e-mails to his white male friends before he hired Fina? Before he brought charges in the “sting” case? The defense lawyer’s “apology” was clearly part of the “deal” to get his client the sweetest plea deal ever (outside of Tyron Ali’s). To hang your hat on that is pathetic.
Amazingly, even AFTER Fina’s problems and morals have come into question, Seth Williams hires Frank Fina’s lawyers’s wife to be his “Chief of Staff” and “General Counsel.”
Her name is Kathleen Martin. Her husband is Frank Fina’s lawyer. Oh yeah — he is also Tyron Ali’s lawyer. Tyron Ali is the “informant” that Fina used to target Black people.
That’s right. While Fina was at the OAG, he and this lawyer (whose wife is now Seth Williams’ Chief of Staff) agreed on a “deal” where Fina dropped all the charges against Tyron Ali. In essence – the lawyer got one client to drop all charges against another client.
As if that wasn’t enough, the lawyer got his one client (Fina) to let his other client (Ali) keep the $400,000.00 he stole. That money was set aside to help children. It was taxpayer money.
The “Beemer Memo” was written by Bruce Beemer, the 1st Assistant at the OAG, recently testified against AG Kane at the Senate’s hearings. Previously, in it, he reported that Fina’s deal with Tyron Ali was “unjust.” He found that Fina targeting Blacks was “improper.” All that (the bad behavior from Fina) was before Kane even took office.
Now – Fina is still collecting a salary from the taxpayers of Philadelphia. And his lawyer’s wife (Kathleen Martin) is now collecting a salary from the taxpayers of Philadelphia. While she and her husband stand to gain from Fina’s $$$-driven lawsuit against the Attorney general’s Office and the Inquirer.
Seth has some explaining to do …
If Eakin committed crimes like Kane committed crimes then I’d be up in arms about him too. But Kane is the only top official we know is a criminal.
E&K, don’t waste your time presenting facts to HaHaHa/Pat Unger. He just responds with name-calling (shill-boy, Repervlican, Corbett perv, etc.) and pasted material that he keeps ready for spamming the comment section of every article pertaining to Kane.
Good points, however, about Crazy Ellen stealing from her FBI agent boyfriend and the sisters boozing it up.
Pat-Fina must have put you in jail-Unger
Why would Fina apologize when the only people on that list are democrats that are ticked that he put corrupt dems in prison? Half of those people were investigated by Fina. Kane knew about these emails in 2009 and did not “discover” them during her Moulton “investigation”. Wake up to the fact that she used them to selectively target people, and left off herself and her sister (the ghost employee). Those people have never called for Ellen to be fired because she is a do-nothing tool of Kathleen. Stop your hypocritical rants and get a life. Ellen is too busy defending herself after stealing from her boyfriends to go to work.
What a shocker! An article about Kathleen Kane spurs HaHaHa/Pat Unger to cut and paste his usual rantings about Frank Fina. I say we have a new poll that asks what H3/PU was prosecuted by Fina for. My guess is some form of kid-touching.
According to the Philadelphia Daily News, the best-known prosecutor implicated in the scandal – Frank Fina – told a roomful of people in 2009 that the financial and political abuses of the “bonusgate” scandal in the state Legislature had at least bought taxpayers “a great set of tits.”
According to the story, former State House Speaker Bill DeWeese attributed those comments to prosecutor Frank Fina, when he’d asked DeWeese if he knew that an illegal bonus to a government employee had been used for breast enhancement surgery.
Fina, you may recall, was already associated with offensive email and required to attend sensitivity training by his current employer, Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams. Fina didn’t respond to Ruderman for her story and hasn’t returned my messages either.
But this is going to be hard to ignore.
When Mayor-elect Jim Kenney was asked about Fina he said: “I think it’s increasingly difficult for those individuals [Fina. Costanzo, and Blessington], based on the information that is out there, to do anything productive when it comes to prosecuting people or representing [victims].”
I remember when Fina was challenging AG Kane to a televised debate (before his e-mails were discovered). Now – it’s nothing but “No comment.” In fact – he hasn’t even publicly apologized for sending this to his white male buddies using a computer that we taxpayers bought:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/zadock1/3580634808
I would be OK with NOW adding Granahan to their petition. Right now, the list of Leaders supporting the original Petition (calling for racist creep Fina’s dismissal) include the following Leaders:
Sen. Anthony Williams
Congressman Bob Brady
Former Gov. Ed Rendell
Mayor Kenney
Future Senator Katie McGinty
Former 1st Assistant Ed McCann
President of The National Organization of Women
Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association
President of the Pennsylvania Bar Association
Councilwoman Maria Quiñones Sánchez
Councilwoman Cindy Bass
Councilwoman Blackwell
Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown
Councilwoman Marian Tasco
Councilman Curtis Jones
Councilman Wilson Goode Jr.
Councilman William Greenlee
Councilman Kenyatta Johnson
Black Clergy leaders
NAACP leaders
Not sure that Seth Williams’ response: “Well – Kane isn’t firing people either. So there!!” is going to cut it with these folks. After all – it was Fina that sent the KFC e-mail to his white male buddies. It was Fina who sent out e-mails that depicted women engaged in oral and anal sex and suggested that’s what female employees needed to do to advance their careers.
Hey Pat Unger, hope they added my name, Ellen Granahan Clarke Goffer, to that petition since I should be fired. I sent porn (to my sister Kathleen, hahaha), made fun of domestic violence and sent racist images and jokes. I abused the public trust.
Love,
Ellen
Unsanctioned R,
Maybe Pat can explain why when her sisters emails were released they redacted to to, from and BCC lines very much unlike she has done when releasing and trying to blackmail the others? Where is the outcry for hiding those names unless it could embarrass those close to Kane?
Pat,
You keep pointing out the petition but did you know you can sign the petition multiple times using any name you want. Roger Rabbit signed it, So did Elmer Fudd and P Diddy. Also I imagine you and the other personalities you post as here signed many times. I am going to start a change.org petition about you not posting as 40 other people and see how many signatures I can get. When Kane gets booted from office so should Fina.