Philadelphia corruption case: mistrial on the 15 charges

The judge in a Philadelphia corruption case declared a mistrial on the 15 remaining charges against former city Treasurer Corey Kemp and four others after jurors couldn't reach verdicts.

Jurors yesterday returned guilty verdicts on 39 charges and not guilty on 25. All five defendants in the trial were convicted on at least some of the 79 charges, and Kemp and two Commerce Bancorp Inc. executives were found guilty of conspiracy to trade city financial business for favors and &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/mailbox/22/99/391/10431_.html ' target=_blank>political contributions.

The trial, which took more than 12 weeks, stemmed from a more than three-year probe of corruption in Mayor John Street's administration. The probe became public when police found &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/usa/2002/04/12/27573.html ' target=_blank>FBI listening devices in Street's office shortly before his re- election in November 2003. Street hasn't been charged, tells Bloomberg.

Two Commerce Bank executives also were found guilty of federal corruption charges after orchestrating highly lenient home and auto loans for Kemp despite his bad credit history.

Glenn Holck and Stephen Umbrell gave the loans to win city work for the company's Pennsylvania bank, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors said Kemp gave much of his official power as treasurer to Philadelphia Democratic fund-raiser Ronald A. White in exchange for a new deck on his house, an all-expenses paid trip to the 2003 Super Bowl, parties in his honor and $10,000.