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The president of the Philadelphia City Court police watchdog is accused of selling the name of a witness in an attempted murder case to a man who threatened to “blow up the witness in broad daylight.”
Hassan Bennett, chairman of the Philadelphia Citizens Police Oversight Commission, is facing charges after investigators say he sold a witness name and an unredacted arrest report to a jail inmate in a domestic violence homicide case to Thomas Scott, who allegedly promised to “blow up” the witness “in broad daylight.” Bennett also works at the Defender Association of Philadelphia.
Investigators listened in on jail calls and heard Bennett Scott read 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 Chief Hassan Bennett allegedly provided prison inmate Thomas Scott with sensitive information from an attempted murder case, including the full name of a witness, prosecutors said. (Citizens’ Police Oversight Commission)
Scott then asked Bennett for a copy of the papers, and offered to pay him $500, officials said. The documents were sent to Scott, who sent them to several other people “to intimidate the witness in the open case,” the district attorney said.
The district attorney said that Scott was recorded saying that he was “looking for the location of the witness, that the witness has to retract 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 heads the Citizens Police Oversight Commission, a body formed after the 2020 protests over the death of George Floyd, was convicted of second-degree murder in 2008. He was acquitted at a 2019 trial, where one of the victims and a co-defendant testified that their previous statements were implicated. Detective.
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Hassan Bennett, chairman of Philadelphia’s Citizens Police Oversight Commission, is accused of selling an unredacted arrest report and the identity of a witness to jail inmate Thomas Scott, according to prosecutors. (Citizens’ Police Oversight Commission)
Both men face felony charges of intimidation of the witness/victim, conspiracy, criminal use of communication facilities 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 get that much access to people’s private information, and you give that much access to inside information, the city in this case needs to be very sure that he’s somebody who’s ethical,” Smith said. “Just because you have a felony conviction overturned does not mean you have the necessary ethics 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 December 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, decline to comment 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 rebuild public trust.”
Fox News Digital has contacted Scott’s attorney. Bennett could not immediately be reached for comment.
