D.A. Frees Would-Be Cop Killer; Now Wanted For Murder

Wanted for Murder

By Ralph Cipriano
for BigTrial.net

On Feb. 9th, Furqan Dhulqurnatin, 21, of Germantown, was in the vicinity of the 4800 block of Knox Street when he allegedly fired shots at Philadelphia police officers, who escaped injury.

On Feb. 11th, police arrested Dhulqurnatin and charged him with eight gun crimes, including two felony charges of carrying firearms without a license, and six misdemeanor gun charges.

Bail was set at $100,000 monetary, meaning the defendant had to post 10%, or $10,000, to get out of jail. 

What happened next: a preliminary hearing was scheduled but judges granted three continuances, the last two at the request of the D.A.'s office. Why? Because the officers involved in the shooting incident hadn't been cleared yet by the D.A.'s investigators, so they weren't available to appear in court to testify against the defendant.

On April 1st, a judge granted a motion for modification of bail down to $50,000 monetary, meaning the defendant had to post $5,000 to get out of jail. But the defendant couldn't afford it, so he stayed in custody. 

On April 29th, however, the D.A.'s office made a motion to withdraw all eight charges. And then, according to court records, that same day Dhulqurnatin was released.

Who Shot Amanda?

By Ralph Cipriano
for BigTrial.net

Last May, Philly cops went on a high-profile manhunt for a gunman who shot two people on the Hancock Playground in Kensington.

A 16-year-old male who apparently was the target of a street gang hit, was shot in the shoulder; a 36-year-old year-old female who was an innocent bystander, was shot in the back. 

For Amanda Lyons, an occupational therapist who's an assistant professor at Thomas Jefferson University, the consequences were tragic -- the bullet severed her spinal cord.

"I  couldn't feel my legs," Lyons told 6ABC after the May 19, 2021 shooting.  In seconds, the woman who was playing kickball in the park with friends was left a paraplegic for life. 

“I’m still mourning the loss of my old self,” said Lyons, who was confined to a wheelchair when she talked to the Inquirer last December. “I still wake up and am like, is this nightmare over? Was this all a nightmare?” 

For the cops, hunting the playground shooter has also been a nightmare. The case began with some circumstantial photo and video evidence that the cops believed was sufficient enough to implicate three juvenile gang members. 

The cops, armed with an affidavit for probable cause, sought a warrant from the D.A.'s office to arrest the three gang members for the playground shooting. But the D.A.'s office declined to charge the suspects.

Then, the cops used a search warrant to raid a house where they found two of the three original suspects along with a couple of illegal guns. Once again, the cops sought a warrant to arrest the three gang members for the playground shooting. 

But once again, the D.A.'s office under Larry Krasner declined to issue an arrest warrant. Instead, the D.A. requested more evidence, such as the suspects' DNA and cell phones. 

Cover Up: City Solicitor Seeks To Seal Depositions Of 2 Top Cops

"I humbly apologize . . ."

By Ralph Cipriano

for BigTrial.net

The city solicitor's office is asking a federal judge to seal in a civil case the videotaped depositions of former Deputy Police Commissioner Dennis Wilson and current Deputy Police Commissioner Christine Coulter.

The request for a seal order is in furtherance of a two-year-old cover up propagated by Mayor Kenney and Police Commissioner Outlaw regarding who made the final decision to drop tear gas on George Floyd protesters in 2020 who were illegally blocking the Vine Street Expressway during rush hour. 

In an April 4th deposition in an ongoing civil case in U.S. District Court, Derrick Jacobs v. City of Philadelphia et al, former deputy police commissioner Wilson revealed that he took a voluntary demotion and $26,000 a-year pay cut over the 2020 decision to drop tear gas on the protesters because "the heat . . . got too much for the city."

At a 2020 press conference, Wilson claimed under duress that the decision to deploy tear gas on the Vine Street Expressway was made by him and him alone. But in his April 4th deposition, Wilson admitted that "Everyone [in the police department] knew that decision was going to be made." 

And everyone, Wilson testified under oath, included Police Commissioner Outlaw, whom Wilson had just talked to on a cell phone "immediately before" the tear gas was deployed. 

During her deposition, Deputy Police Commissioner Coulter was asked some pointed questions about the indictment and arrest of former Staff Inspector Joseph Bologna, who was fired for allegedly hitting a protester in the head with his metal baton. 

And during her deposition, Coulter stated that Bologna did nothing wrong, and he was merely following orders and proper department procedures during the George Floyd riots. Further, Coulter stated that the protester in question had actually interfered with an arrest, and had also stolen Bologna's baton.

But rather than allow the public to hear and see what Wilson and Coulter had to say, the city solicitor's office under Mayor Kenney wants to declare those two depositions confidential, and prohibit former homicide detective Derrick Jacobs from further discussing those depositions with bigtrial.net.

'Hey Larry, What About Your Taxes, Larry?'

By Ralph Cipriano
for BigTrial.net

No reporter in the city has had the guts to ask the D.A. about his unpaid tax bill of $86,043.57.

So yesterday, Bill Newbold did just that. And then he posted a video of his confrontation with Larry Krasner on Twitter.

"Hey Larry, what about your taxes, Larry. You pay your taxes?" 

Newbold was shouting at Krasner across the street from a press conference the D.A. was holding in front of 448 N. 10th St. That's a seven-story vacant office building in North Philadelphia that Krasner was using as a backdrop yesterday to announce the official activation of the D.A.'s "Election Task Force." 

Yep, that's right. Krasner, the guy known as "Let 'Em Loose Larry," the Philly D.A. famous for letting armed and dangerous criminals go free, so they can become murderers and carjackers, was busy touting a special hotline he'd set up.

So the D.A. can follow through on his big threat to put in jail anybody who tries to invade Philadelphia and commit any "potential violence" at the polls during today's primary elections. 

"Hey Larry, Larry, " Newbold yelled. "What number do I call to put you in a jail cell for campaign finance nonsense?"

Fox News Calls Out Larry Krasner For Being A Tax Deadbeat

By Ralph Cipriano
for BigTrial.net

In case you missed it, Fox News just called out Philadelphia D.A. Larry Krasner nationally for being a local tax deadbeat.

Krasner has a 40% stake in Tiger Building LP, which owns the former Princeton Club at 1221-23 Locust Street. 

In the two weeks since Big Trial broke the April 29th story about Krasner being a tax deadbeat again, the bill for unpaid taxes on Krasner's former Princeton Club posted online has jumped from $84,752.46 to $86,043.57.

Isn't it curious? Foxnews.com saw a national story in the hypocrisy of Philadelphia's top law enforcement official being a habitual tax deadbeat, especially after he appeared in an ad promoting "fully funded public schools." But here in Philadelphia, not a single media outlet saw Krasner's tax delinquent status and hypocrisy as worthy of a local story.

At The Philadelphia Inquirer, with the primaries next week, Inky staffers were busy talking up John Fetterman, the "Democrat socialist" lumberjack running for U.S. senator, while trashing as many GOP candidates as possible for senator and governor.

At Philly mag, they were busy writing about backyard chickens and wild martinis. 

For reporters and editors covering corrupt and contented Philadelphia, holding our corrupt and incompetent local politicians accountable seems to be a low priority.

City Solicitor Seeks Gag Order To Continue PPD Cover Up

By Ralph Cipriano
for BigTrial.net

The city solicitor's office is seeking a protective order from a federal judge that's the equivalent of a gag order to prevent more depositions like the one Dennis Wilson just gave from being excerpted on bigtrial.net.

In a deposition in an ongoing federal case in U.S. District Court, Derrick Jacobs v. City of Philadelphia et al, former deputy police commissioner Wilson revealed that he took a voluntary demotion and pay cut over the 2020 decision to drop tear gas on protesters on the Vine Street Expressway because "the heat . . . got too much for the city."

While Wilson claimed under duress at a 2020 press conference that the decision to deploy tear gas during the George Floyd riots was made by him and him alone, in his April 4th deposition Wilson finally admitted that "Everyone [in the police department] knew that decision was going to be made." 

Everybody, Wilson explained, included Police Commissioner Outlaw, whom Wilson had just talked to on a cell phone "immediately before" the tear gas was deployed. 

On Tuesday, the city solicitor's office jumped into the fray, asking a judge to make sure that a subsequent deposition given in the same lawsuit by Deputy Police Commissioner Christine Coulter is not made public on bigtrial.net. 

During her deposition, Coulter was asked some pointed questions about the indictment of former Staff Inspector Joseph Bologna, and the city obviously doesn't want the public to hear what Coulter had to say about that subject.

Dennis Wilson: I Was Demoted Because City Got Too Much 'Heat'

By Ralph Cipriano

for BigTrial.net
 
In court, the two-year-old cover up orchestrated by Mayor Kenney and Police Commissioner Outlaw  continues to unravel over who really ordered the teargassing of protesters on the Vine Street Expressway. 

The official story, as fabricated at a press conference held by Kenney and Outlaw, is that the decision to deploy tear gas during the George Floyd riots against protesters who were illegally blocking the highway during rush hour was made solely by a rogue and since-demoted deputy police commissioner named Dennis Wilson.

But in an April 4th videotaped deposition in an ongoing federal case, Derrick Jacobs v. City of Philadelphia et al in U.S. District Court, Wilson spoke out for the first time about the teargassing, and here's what he had to say under oath:

"Everyone knew that decision was going to be made," Wilson testified about the use of tear gas. Wilson added that "everybody" included the police commissioner, whom he had just had a cell phone conversation with "immediately before" the tear gas was dropped. 

"And I took a voluntary demotion when the heat, I guess, got too much for the city," Wilson said. 

Larry Krasner -- Tax Deadbeat & Hypocrite

By Ralph Cipriano
for BigTrial.net

District Attorney Larry Krasner, the city's top law enforcement official, is a tax deadbeat again.

For Krasner, paying his real estate taxes over the years has been a persistent problem, but he doesn't want to talk about it. And neither does Kevin Lessard, Mayor Kenney's director of communications.

Lessard went on vacation today rather than answer the question of who at City Hall was responsible for giving the D.A. yet another pass on paying his property taxes this year like everybody else has to do.   

According to Krasner's most recent statement of financial interest, filed in 2020, the D.A. has a 40% ownership stake in Tiger Building LP, which owns the former Princeton Club located at 1221-23 Locust Street. 

Last year, Big Trial reported that Tiger Building LP had an outstanding tax bill of $53,168.60 that hadn't been paid. According to city records, the historic landmark property, which last sold in 2008 for $1.35 million, has a current value of $3.8 million.

So last year, the city and Tiger Building LLP entered into a payment agreement. But according to city records, Krasner still owes $26,608.19 in principal on last year's taxes, plus $2,261.05 in interest, penalties and fees, for a total of $30,786.33.

And this year, Krasner didn't get around to paying his taxes either. So as of today, Tiger Building LP  owes the city $53,168.60 in principal on the same building, plus $797.53 in interest, for a total of $53,966.13.

So according to city records posted online, this means that for the tax years of 2021 and 2022, Tiger Building LLP co-owned by the district attorney of Philadelphia now owes the city a grand total of $84,752.46 in taxes, interest, penalties, and fees.