Newly sworn-in Philadelphia District Attorney, Larry Krasner, has started the new year with a BANG! Dozens of Assistant District Attorney’s were sent packing with dozens of others shaking in their boots!
Krasner, who took over the 534 employee department on January 2, provided no official comment on the terminations. See the partial leaked list below:
E. Marc Costanzo
Pat Blessington
Trial Division Chief John Delaney, Jr.
Pre-Trial Unit Chief Michael Barry
Chief of the Diversion Courts Unit Derek Riker
Chief of Family Violence & Sexual Assault James Carpenter
Gun Violence Task Force Chief Carolien Keating-McGlynn
DA Conviction Review Unit Marc Gilson
Chief of the Legislation & Policy Unit Greg Rowe
Lauren Realberg
Jason Kleinbahn
Laquan Lightfoot
Melissa Francis DAO’s Danger Drug Offenders Unit
Brian Hughes
Tom Lipscomb
Bridget Kirn
Joe Whitehead
Laurie Moore
Namratha Ravikant
Gwen Cujdik
Brian Zarallo
Yvonne Ruiz
Michelle Seidner
Jan McDermott
Salina Jones
Hugh Burns
B.J. Graham-Rubin
Stacey Hughes
Carlos Vega
Nicole Pedecino
Jenn Hoffman
We all remember Costanzo and Blessington from the Porngate scandal. The “pitbull” Marc Gilson states he was “shocked”. Many of the others allegedly had dubious convictions and/or misconduct allegations.
Mark Gilson – Bye-Bye
According to triblive.com, “Some of those let go, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss their termination, said they were told Friday morning to come to the office as soon as possible. When they arrived, they said, they were escorted by the office’s detectives as they learned their fate – often without explanation – and cleaned out their desks. Several left in tears.
Andrew Notaristefano, a homicide prosecutor and district attorney’s office employee for more than a decade, said he had a homicide trial scheduled to start Monday – and that he’d met with the victim’s family Thursday night to prepare. He was at his desk working Friday when a human resources employee took him aside and told him he was fired, he said.
Notaristefano, who secured dozens of murder convictions during his career, said he was given “no explanation.” He requested to leave after prosecuting his upcoming trial but was told no, he said. His request to speak to Krasner was also denied, he said.
“I’ve worked very hard and sacrificed a lot to make this city a safer place and to help people,” said Notaristefano, part of the team of prosecutors that unsuccessfully sought the death penalty last fall in a retrial for a decades-old murder.
Michael Barry, deputy of the pretrial division, confirmed that he was asked to resign, with his last day next Friday. James Carpenter, chief of the Family Violence and Sexual Assault Unit for the past six years, said he would also leave that day.
Derek Riker, chief of the Diversion Courts Unit for the last five years, said he was shocked to be let go because “I consider myself one of the progressive people in the office,” responsible for cases that involve alternative treatment and programs instead of incarceration – the types of ideals Krasner campaigned to expand.
Gwenn Cujdik, a homicide prosecutor, asked what would happen if she didn’t resign as requested. She said she was told she would be fired on Monday.
“A lot of us stayed because we were willing to stay and willing to work for (Krasner) and continue to do what we do,” Cujdik said.”
Uh……Yeah. It is not unusual for the incoming District Attorney to make staffing changes. Ed Rendell, former District Attorney, Mayor and Governor states he dismissed about 25 percent of staff when he first took office.
secretsociety2015blog 