Remember the former nursing home at 46th & Chestnut that had been proposed as a homeless shelter for women with small children? The one that ended up being leased by Penn Nursing for the LIFE (Living Independently for Elders) center? This listserv, with all its contentious bluntness, played a major role in getting the community involved in the debate. The larger community -- beyond just the people registered for the list -- through heightened awareness of what was happening. Whether you agree with the way it turned out or not, it was an example of the power of the medium and the ability for people to express their views -- rather roughly, sometimes with sit and satire, but certainly lacking the civility some might prefer. Anyway, one of the issues raised involved what some people asserted were the questionable business practices of Joe Campenella -- who had acquired the property by a series of transactions that I, at least, never quite understood. The following appeared in today's Inquirer. Apparently, there have been accusations by the Feds (which aren't the same as proof or court decisions), that Mr Campanella has acted in a dishonest way with respect to tax assessments on some of his company's properties. The properties on the list didn't include 46th & Chestnut. Al Krigman PS: Unless you saw it in the Inky, you read it here, first. Match that, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) !
____________________________________ ____________________________________ City assessor, builder charged with a $20,000 bribery By John Shiffman, Inquirer Staff Writer A Philadelphia real estate assessor took a $20,000 bribe to reduce the assessment on four properties owned by a developer, federal authorities alleged yesterday. The developer, James F. Campenella, and the assessor, James F. Lynch, were charged by criminal information, which is an indication that they are likely to plead guilty. Each is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud. Campenella, 56, of Philadelphia, owns Campenella Construction, and in 1993 pleaded guilty to tax charges and conspiracy to distribute marijuana. His lawyer, Henry Hockheimer, yesterday declined to comment on the new charges. Lynch, 55, lives in Philadelphia. His lawyer, Robert DeSimone, also declined to comment. In a filing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Schwartz, chief of the public corruption unit, said that the bribes were paid, in part, to reduce the amount of money Campenella paid lawyers to try to reduce tax payments. The properties are located at 2500 Mifflin St., 323-27 N. 13th St., 1101-13 Locust St., and 5201 Old York Rd. The $20,000 bribe allegedly was paid in November 2005. In August 2005, for example, Campenella was notified that the assessment on the property on 13th Street would be raised to $3 million. Authorities said that Campenella asked Lynch to lower the assessment and that Lynch made a request to lower it to $1.6 million. A month later, the city Board of Revision of Taxes reduced the assessment to $1.6 million. Similarly, authorities said, the property on Locust Street was lowered from $4.6 million to $1.6 million. Under the advisory federal sentencing guidelines, Schwartz said, Lynch probably faces from 18 to 33 months in prison and Campenella likely faces one to two years. "The amount of money isn't as significant as the message that an illegal payment in an attempt to influence a public official sends to the community," said U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan. "People who seek to do business in the city need to know that the playing field is level or they won't get in the game." ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
