PhilaNet.com

Wednesday, December 19, 2012
4:30pm until 5:30pm

Location:
Municipal Services Building / City Hall
1401 JFK Blvd, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107

A day to remember homeless friends that have died in 2012.

FaceBook Event: Homeless Memorial Day

HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA — Agents from the Attorney General’s Public Corruption Unit have arrested a former employee from a Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (DPW) office in Philadelphia who is accused of orchestrating a scheme to steal more than $330,000 in public assistance payments.

Attorney General Linda Kelly identified the defendant as Kyshima D. Montgomery, 23, of 2934 North Judson St., Philadelphia.

Kelly said that evidence and testimony concerning the theft of state welfare benefits was presented to a statewide investigating grand jury, which recommended the charges that were filed today. Kelly also noted this is an active and ongoing investigation and additional arrests are anticipated.

“This is a disturbing scheme to corrupt the public assistance system for personal gain by diverting massive amounts of taxpayer funds from their intended purpose, aiding Pennsylvania residents who are struggling to feed and support their families,” Kelly said.

According to the grand jury, Montgomery used her position as a clerk at the DPW’s Philadelphia County West District Office to place tens-of-thousands of dollars in additional cash benefits into the accounts of numerous friends, associates and other individuals, without proper authorization.

Kelly said that most of the extra payments were in the form of “One Time Issuances,” which are intended to assist recipients with additional expenses, such as job training, books or fees. Montgomery allegedly transferred these additional funds into the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) accounts of the targeted individuals, allowing the money to be withdrawn with an EBT card, which functions much like a bank debit card.

The grand jury found that Montgomery withdrew the majority of the extra funds for her own use before turning the EBT cards over to the other participants in this scheme. Many of the co-conspirators understood they were receiving additional benefits, often improperly – typically several hundred dollars in extra funds – but most were not aware that Montgomery was allegedly using their accounts to funnel thousands of dollars to herself.

Kelly said that between December 2010 and May 2011, Montgomery allegedly made $235,648 in unauthorized payments to various EBT accounts, much of which was withdrawn as cash using various ATM’s and bank branches in Philadelphia.

Additionally, Montgomery is accused of transferring an additional $104,310 to other EBT accounts, but those funds were frozen by the Department of Public Welfare before the money could be withdrawn.

Montgomery is charged with 17 counts of theft by deception, one count of criminal attempted theft by deception, 18 counts of criminal use of a communications facility, 18 counts of unlawful use of a computer and 14 counts of criminal conspiracy, all third-degree felonies which are each punishable by up to seven years in prison and $15,000 fines.

Montgomery is also charged with one count of theft by deception and one count of criminal conspiracy, both first-degree misdemeanors which are each punishable by up to five years in prison and $10,000 fines.

Montgomery will be prosecuted in Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas by Senior Deputy Attorney General E. Marc Costanzo of the Attorney General’s Criminal Prosecutions Section.

Kelly noted this arrest involving the theft of DPW benefits in Philadelphia comes only weeks after agents from the Attorney General’s Office arrested two former caseworkers from Delaware County who were charged with stealing nearly $300,000 in a similar public assistance fraud scheme.

Kelly thanked the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare and Pennsylvania Office of the Inspector General for their cooperation and assistance with these continuing investigations.

(A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty.)

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Attorney General Linda Kelly, Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan and Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler held a news conference at the Attorney General’s Philadelphia office, 7801 Essington Ave.

The purpose of the news conference was to announce a series of arrests in “Operation Blowout,” a joint investigation that identified 27 individuals allegedly linked to a $3.5 million methamphetamine trafficking organization that stretched from the Philadelphia and suburban counties into the Lehigh Valley, and as far north as Tioga and Lycoming counties, in north-central Pennsylvania.

Seized drugs, weapons, cash and other items, along with photos of the defendants, was on display at the news conference.

Bucks County, Pennsylvania
December 5, 7:00-9:00pm
Keeping Tax Revenues Local — Bucks County Bank

The David Library, located on the River Road in Washington Crossing just north of Route 532 seats about 125 people; those interested are asked to reserve a seat by calling Christina Civelito at 215/946-1945, or by sending an email to info@papublicbankproject.org .

This year, Aiman Youssef is thankful to be alive.

The 42-year-old Staten Island man said he used to have a $300,000 house he could be thankful for, and a car, and two vans full of things he was going to sell on EBay. Then Superstorm Sandy ruined all that and the rest of his neighborhood too, so just being alive is the best he can ask for right now.

“It’s survival — that’s what it is now,” said Youssef, who sleeps in a tent, where it gets cold early in the morning, around 3 or 4 a.m. especially.

But that tent is no ordinary tent; it’s a full-blown Sandy relief hub, bustling with supplies and volunteers “like 24-hours-seven here,” as Youssef put it in a phone interview. And on Thursday, Youssef’s temporary home was just one of the many locations around the Northeast that stayed busy over Thanksgiving nourishing the thousands of Sandy survivors and volunteers whose lingering struggles know no holiday.

“If you come on Staten Island, you come to South Beach, you’ll see some things that will twist your stomach a bit,” said Farid Kader, 29, a volunteer with Sandy Yellow Team, a relief group that works with Youssef’s distribution site and, like many others, spent its Thanksgiving holiday distributing meals around storm-affected areas. “It’s starting to take a toll on people. Honestly, until the authorities rebuild things, I don’t see myself hanging out with other people.”

Kader mentioned the post-storm mold in ruined homes: “A lot of us are getting sick.”

On the phone, Matthew Hillyer, a volunteer delivering meals, sounded breathless. “I’m pushing a shopping cart door-to-door,” he explained. “After I get done pushing the cart, I’m going to try to hit every house in a 10-block radius.”

Hillyer is associated with Occupy Wall Street, which has won plaudits for its storm relief effort, Occupy Sandy. Organizers estimated it served more than 10,000 meals on Thanksgiving.

Another Occupier, Robert Pluma, was also almost too busy to talk. “I’m literally taking my first break in two weeks,” Pluma said, politely begging off. “I’m carving a turkey as we speak.”

Sandy’s billions in storm damage left thousands newly homeless amid a recovery effort that, many residents complain, has stretched the capacity of major aid agencies and federal and local governments. As of Wednesday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency reported that 453,000 disaster survivors had applied for assistance in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island, with $844.4 million in relief aid approved.

That translated into a $19,000 check for Youssef — a help, he said, but not enough for him to rebuild his life.

“He’s not the only one I’ve been hearing this about,” Kader said of Youssef. “This whole area has been flooded, and a lot of the people here don’t have flood insurance. It’s bad.”

In New York City, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s office said it planned to distribute more than 26,500 meals to 30 locations where residents had seen Sandy’s worst.

“As we continue to recover and rebuild from the devastating impact of Hurricane Sandy, our city will do everything we can to bring some of the comforts and traditions of Thanksgiving to families in our hardest-hit communities,” Bloomberg said in a statement, adding that the city would also give out 2,400 turkeys.

In the city’s outer boroughs, though, the government’s post-storm promises haven’t been enough for some residents, who had a somewhat tepid approval of Bloomberg’s storm response in a Quinnipiac poll released Tuesday. Advocates for the New York City homeless community said the storm’s aftermath had also widened a serious housing problem that had long existed for the city’s down-and-out. Displaced residents have found themselves bouncing from shelter to shelter as officials struggle to find a place for them.

“The storm itself brought more transparency about the situation, because there’s a lot more homeless people now, there’s a lot more displaced people now, and it’s all over the media,” said Raul Rodriguez, who sits on the civil rights committee of Picture the Homeless, a New York advocacy group. “Before, it was more of a hush-hush situation.”

Rodriguez added, “Everything is getting a little bit better, slowly but surely, but everybody’s just holding on to their heads.”

In New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie — whose no-nonsense reaction to the storm recovery has earned him rock-star adulation in the media and in polls — packaged and delivered 500 Thanksgiving dinners on Wednesday to a Lowe’s with his wife and children.

“We are all one New Jersey family,” the Republican said in a statement. “When one family member is in need, we are all there to help, no matter how great or how small. It’s that commitment, resilience and generosity that make Mary Pat and I so proud of our state and our people.”

The giving spirit extended beyond the Northeast. In Perry Township, Ohio, Lauri Weinfeld said she was offering a four-bedroom rental house to Sandy survivors for four months, rent-free. When asked why she decided to do it, Weinfeld said, “If I just say it straight up, it just sounds like I’m being sappy and altruistic.

“But if you have something you can share and somebody needs it, you can share it,” she said. “I can only imagine how horrible it is to lose your home and all your things and not be sure how it’s all going to come back together. I can simplify somebody’s life at least a little bit.”

She’d just published an email address for those interested — temphouse4sandyvictims@gmail.com — and by Thanksgiving Day, one person had written, she said.

Perhaps in the spirit of the holiday, they’d written only to say thanks.
This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license.

By Matt Pearce, Los Angeles Times

CAMDEN, NJ — There was a Thanksgiving Day earthquake in Camden, New Jersey.

Magnitude 2.1 – GREATER PHILADELPHIA AREA, NEW JERSEY

The epicenter was near W Atlantic Avenue and Oak Lane — a short distance from Clementon Park.

Earthquake Details

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The City of Philadelphia

Prudential Fox and Roach – Rittenhouse Square Real Estate/Society Hill Real Estate – Mary Genovese-Colvin

Philadelphia Real Estate, Prudential Fox and Roach, Center City Philadelphia – Lisa Silveri

Prudential Fox and Roach – Center City Philadelphia Real Estate, Queen Village – Kathy Conway

Kingsley Court, Roxborough, Philadelphia – Marie Grodon

Montgomery County and The Greater Philadelphia Region

Prudential Fox & Roach Jane Douglas

Prudential Fox & Roach – Jay Peterman

Michael Anthony Homes

Long and Foster Real Estate – John Benigno

Houses For Sale on the Main Line – Re/Max Executive Realty – Andrea Robbins

Prudential Rittenhouse Realty

Keller Williams Real Estate

Bucks County, Northern Montgomery County

The Barndt Agency

Delaware County

Century 21 – Absolute Realty

Chester County

RE/Source

Prudential Fox and Roach – Steve Christie, New Homes

Glenelg Farm – Prudential Fox and Roach – Luxury New Homes, Chadds Ford, PA

Berks County

Prudential Fox and Roach – Heatherbrook Townhomes

The Poconos (Monroe and Carbon County)

Keller Williams Real Estate – Vacation Homes and Rentals

New Castle County, Delaware

Marra Homes New Homes Quick Deliveries

Nationwide

Prudential Arizona Properties / Sterling Fine Homes and Land – Arizona

other real estate resources

New Home Construction Guide

Title Insurance

Home Inspections

Mortgage Information

PHILADELPHIA, PA — It is rare to see a new housing development in the city of Philadelphia; however, thirty-two new carriage houses are being built in the Roxborough neighborhood.

Welcome to Kingsley Court

A new upscale community of 32 ‘single-family’ carriage homes in the convenience of the city, the beauty of Wissahickon Valley Park and Walnut Lane Golf Course.

The many standard amenities include:

• Private driveway & garage
• Front garden & backyard
• Sidewalks & streetlights
• 2400 sq ft of living space
• 3-4 Bedrooms, 2 1/2 Baths
• Finished 3rd floor loft
• Hardwood floors
• Recessed lighting
• Granite counters
• Stainless Whirlpool appliances

Residential Property Directory

New Home Construction

WEST CHESTER, PA — On Sunday, veterans held a ceremony at the Veterans Memorial in West Chester followed by a parade down Gay Street. There was a variety of veterans, antique military vehicles, floats and both the East and Rustin High School Marching Bands.

VIDEOS

• 1:02 Veterans Day Parade West Chester PA 2012 11 11 2 KingArthurCom 13 hours ago
• 1:29 Veterans Day Parade West Chester PA 2012 11 11 3 KingArthurCom 13 hours ago
• 3:33 Veterans Day Parade West Chester PA 2012 11 11 1 KingArthurCom 13 hours ago
• 1:00 Veterans Day Parade West Chester PA 2012 11 11 4 KingArthurCom 13 hours ago