THIS JUST IN: Philly’s Most Wanted Caught Teaching 8th Grade Math
One of Philadelphia’s Most Wanted has been found. He was teaching at a city school in North Philadelphia. Arnesx Honore, 33, has taught math to eighth-grade boys since 2003 at the Hunting Park alternative school in North Philadelphia. Honore, accused of attacking a 17-year-old girl in August 2006, was wanted on sexual-assault charges, police said. According to court records, Honore was arrested on charges of raping a minor on April 1, 2006, but all charges were dismissed because the witness was unavailable. It was unclear this morning whether the two cases were related. School administrators acted quickly after discovering Honore’s name on the list of Philadelphia’s 150 Most Wanted. “We found out on Sunday and immediately called police,” said Barbara Braman, spokeswoman for the school, which is operated by Community Education Partners. “Mr. Honore has been suspended pending an investigation.” [via INQUIRER]
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HARRISBURGER: Johnny Doc Gets Into The Ring With Fumo, Dicker
Two longtime foes with deep roots in South Philadelphia — state Sen. Vincent J. Fumo and union leader John J. Dougherty — are edging closer to a confrontation at the polls. Both filed thousands of signatures with state election officials yesterday to seek the Democratic Senate nomination in the April 22 primary.But it apparently won’t be a head-to-head match-up. As expected, community activist Anne Dicker and attorney Lawrence M. Farnese Jr. also filed petitions to join the Senate race. A potential fifth candidate, former city controller Joseph Vignola, said he’d decided not to run in the primary, but will seek a spot on the November ballot, running as an independent. “With Johnny Doc filing, Vince can’t drop out,” Vignola said. “That is the ultimate feud. Dropping out would mean the other guy wins, and neither would let that happen.” Fumo, a 30-year veteran, is considered vulnerable because of his scheduled trial in September on federal corruption charges. He is the only incumbent senator from Philadelphia to face primary opposition. [via DAILY NEWS]
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Fed Witnesses Say They Paid Milton $2 Million In Consulting Fees And Got Nada
Federal prosecutors yesterday began laying the foundation for the tax-fraud charges against T. Milton Street Sr.: A stream of witnesses who said they paid the food vendor and former state legislator thousands of dollars in consulting fees, money the government says Street never reported on his income-tax returns. The indictment against Street alleges that he failed to pay taxes on $2 million worth of consulting fees and income not derived from his $30,000-a-year food-vending business between 2000 and 2004. Indeed, the indictment alleges that Street, 68, of Moorestown, failed even to file a tax return in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Government witnesses told the jury about an array of consulting contracts Street obtained between 2000 and 2003, all from people hoping he could get them city contracts or intervene on their behalf. Some, such as stockbroker Warren West, of Green Tree Brokerage Services, and Michael Thevar, of Temp Solutions, testified that they paid Street between $5,000 and $10,000 but got nothing in return. Others, such as Rose DiOttavio, president of CoreCare Behavioral Health Management Inc., which operates the Kirkbride Center psychiatric hospital in West Philadelphia, testified that Street was paid $5,000 in 2001 to try to arrange a payment schedule for the company’s large debt to the Philadelphia Gas Works and an additional $18,000 to do the same with the city on its back taxes. Although Street helped the firm establish payment schedules, DiOttavio testified, she ultimately dropped Street’s consulting work “because we were not making any progress.” [via INQUIRER]