Former Philadelphia Traffic Court judge Willie Singletary was sentenced Thursday to 20 months in prison for lying to the FBI during an investigation into a ticket-fixing scheme.
A federal jury found Singletary, 33, guilty of lying to the FBI in July 2014, after a trial involving misconduct and manipulation of the now-defunct Philadelphia Traffic Court.
Three of Singletary's co-defendants -- Michael Lowry, Robert Mulgrew, and Thomasine Tynes -- were convicted of committing perjury before the federal grand jury, while four other co-defendants pleaded guilty prior to the trial.
Among the
violations investigated by the FBI were the judges' outright dismissal of tickets for connected people and friends, holding "show" hearings, adjudicating tickets for minimum penalties and conspiring in the assignment of cases.
In the wake of the investigation, the Philadelphia Traffic Court was disbanded and the Municipal Court took over its responsibilities.
In addition to Singletary's prison term, U.S. District Judge Lawrence Stengel handed him one year of supervised release, a fine of $1,500 and a special assessment of $100. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Denise S. Wolf and Anthony J. Wzorek.
