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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.”
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.” Bennett also works at the Defender Association of 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. Bennett also allegedly handed over the witness’s full name.
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Philadelphia police watchdog chair Hassan Bennett allegedly provided prison inmate Thomas Scott with sensitive information from an attempted murder case, including a witness’s full name, prosecutors said. (Citizens Police Oversight Commission)
Scott then asked Bennett for a copy of the paperwork, offering to pay him $500, officials said. 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.
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.”
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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. 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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Hassan Bennett, chair of Philadelphia’s Citizens Police Oversight Commission, is accused of selling an unredacted arrest report and a witness’s identity to prison inmate Thomas Scott, according to prosecutors. (Citizens Police Oversight Commission)
Both men face felony charges of intimidation of witness/victim, conspiracy, criminal use of communication facility and bribery.
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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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“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. “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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“We believe that this entire commission in Philadelphia needs to be looked at, each person individually,” she added.
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.”
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Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner attends a news conference on Dec. 30, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)
“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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In a statement, the Philadelphia Citizens Police Oversight Commission said Bennett is on leave.
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“We recognize the seriousness of this 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. “Our responsibility to the people of Philadelphia remains unchanged. We will continue our work to strengthen police accountability, promote transparency, and build public trust.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Scott’s attorney. Bennett could not immediately be reached for comment.