The chair of Philadelphia's city-run police watchdog is accused of selling a witness's name in an attempted murder case to a man who threatened to "blow down the witness in broad daylight."
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who → run → daylight
Hassan Bennett, chair of the Philadelphia Citizens Police Oversight Commission, faces charges after investigators say he sold a witness's name and an unredacted arrest report to a prison inmate in a domestic violence attempted murder case to Thomas Scott, who allegedly vowed to "blow down" the witness "in broad daylight."
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who → face → daylight
Bennett also works at the Defender Association of Philadelphia.
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Bennett → work → Philadelphia
Investigators listened to prison calls and heard Bennett read Scott details from the arrest report in the attempted murder case, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office said in a news release.
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Office → listen → release
Bennett also allegedly handed over the witness's full name.
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Bennett → hand → name
Scott then asked Bennett for a copy of the paperwork, offering to pay him $500, officials said.
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officials → ask → 500
The documents were sent to Scott, who sent them to various other people "in order to intimidate the witness in the open case," the district attorney's office said.
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office → send → case
The district attorney's office said Scott was recorded saying he "was searching for the witness's location, that the witness needs to recant his statement."
Officials say Scott was recorded saying "the whole purpose of his social media posts was to prevent the witness from coming to court."
Bennett, who now leads the Citizens Police Oversight Commission, a body formed after the 2020 protests over George Floyd's death, was convicted of second-degree murder in 2008.
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who → say → 2008
He was acquitted at a 2019 retrial, where one of the victims and a co-defendant testified that their earlier statements implicating him had been coerced by a then-homicide detective.
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statements → acquit → detective
Both men face felony charges of intimidation of witness/victim, conspiracy, criminal use of communication facility and bribery.
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men → face → facility
National Police Association Spokeswoman Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith told Fox News Digital that the incident should be a "cautionary tale" for other cities.
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incident → tell → cities
"When you are given that much access to people's private information and you are giving that much access to inside information, the city in this case needs to be very sure that he is someone who is ethical," Smith said.
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Smith → give → case
"Just because you have had a felony conviction overturned doesn't mean that you have the ethics necessary to handle this sensitive information."
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you → overturn → information
"We believe that this entire commission in Philadelphia needs to be looked at, each person individually," she added.
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she → believe → Philadelphia
District Attorney Larry Krasner said Bennett's alleged crimes are "serious" but "not a reflection on the work of the Citizens Police Oversight Commission or the Defender Association of Philadelphia."
"I would like to be in a position to say that this defendant had no such involvement, but he did, and the evidence is strong," Krasner said.
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Krasner → say → involvement
In a statement, the Philadelphia Citizens Police Oversight Commission said Bennett is on leave.
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Bennett → say → leave
"We recognize the seriousness of this matter.
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We → recognize → matter
We will respect the legal process, refrain from commenting on legal allegations that are under investigation and take appropriate steps to protect confidential information," the commission said.
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commission → respect → information
"Our responsibility to the people of Philadelphia remains unchanged.
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responsibility → remain → Philadelphia
We will continue our work to strengthen police accountability, promote transparency, and build public trust."
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We → continue → trust
Fox News Digital reached out to Scott's attorney.
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Digital → reach → attorney
Bennett could not immediately be reached for comment.
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Bennett → reach → comment
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