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FBI Uses Fake Defendant To Snare Corrupt Judge
by Joseph Earnest September 29, 2014
Newscast Media PHILADELPHIA—The courts are corrupt. Judges are easily bribed. Some are promised perks in exchange for favorable rulings. Others just falsely believe they are above the law. The FBI understands this reality. To set an example as to what could happen to corrupt judicial officers, the FBI created a fake arrest, a fake defendant, fake evidence, fake witnesses and fake court documents.
The undertaking they would embark on targeted a corrupt judge on Philly by the name of Joseph Waters.
Joseph C. Waters, Jr., 61, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty today to using his judicial position to influence the outcome of two cases in the Philadelphia Municipal Court.
According to documents filed in the case, on September 30, 2011, Waters was asked by Person #1 – a politically active business owner – to use his judicial office to achieve a favorable outcome in a small claims case filed in Philadelphia Municipal Court against Person #1’s real estate management company. To that end, Waters called two other Municipal Court judges, assigned to the case on different dates, and asked them to rule in Person #1's favor.
Here is an excerpt of the conversation that was captured by the FBI between ex-judge Waters and two other judges:
The information outlined a second scheme in which Waters used his position as a judge to facilitate a favorable outcome in a criminal firearms case. According to the information, Person #1 urged a witness cooperating with the government, “CW#1,” to contribute money to help pay down debts Waters had incurred while campaigning for a position on the Municipal Court. In January 2010, CW#1, gave Waters $1,000 in cash. The information charged that, in accepting the money, Waters told CW#1 that he would help CW#1 with future problems that CW#1 or CW#1’s friends may encounter in the court system.
In this second conversation, ex-judge Waters tells Judge #2 to take a hard look at "a friend of mine". Judge #2 says, "Your guy?" to which Waters replies, "Yeah, the Defendant."
Both Judge #1 and Judge #2 have since been remooved from hearing cases, after ex-judge Waters confessed his crimes of fraud to the FBI.
U.S. District Court Judge Juan R. Sanchez scheduled a sentencing hearing for January 22, 2015. Waters faces a maximum statutory sentence of 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $500,000 and up to three years of supervised release.
*Click here to read or download the FBI charge-sheet against ex-judge Waters. (pop-up)
The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Chief of the Public Corruption Unit Richard P. Barrett and Assistant United States Attorney Michelle L. Morgan.
As for the fake file, fake witness and fake evidence against the corrupt judge, the FBI simply put the public on notice that, "Case Withdrawn by FBI." Add Comments>>
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