City, mayor remain entangled in FBI investigation

The reach of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's probe continued to stretch across the city last week, as evidence of multiple wire taps surfaced.

The original investigation seemed at first to revolve around Mayor John Street's City Hall office, but as more details have become available, it appears likely that some of his closest political allies and the way city contracts have been awarded are in fact at the heart of the controversy.

Though the first listening device that was discovered on Oct. 7 was in Street's office, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported last Friday that the offices of attorney Ronald White and City Treasurer Corey Kemp were also bugged.

Additionally, ties to central figures in the investigation have been found in a number of the concession stands at Lincoln Financial Field.

White, whose office was also raided by the FBI when the investigation was first made public, is a friend of and major fundraiser for Street. He has emerged as a central figure in the probe, with his wife and a number of other close family and friends having received contracts to do work for the city.

The probe has swept through many municipal organizations as well, including the Philadelphia International Airport and the Philadelphia Housing Authority -- both places where White or his relatives have done business -- in addition to the Treasury Department and other city organizations.

Neither White nor his attorney, Creed Black Jr, returned calls for comment.

Kemp resigned suddenly two weeks ago, because "he was getting a lot of pressure from reporters and was uncomfortable, so he decided to leave," Street spokeswoman Barbara Grant said last week.

Though he had announced his intention to resign, Kemp left work short of his two weeks' notice.

Kemp has been accused of attending either the 2001 or 2000 Super Bowl with White. If this is true, Kemp would have violated Philadelphia laws forbidding officials from accepting gifts worth more than $100 from anyone doing business with the city.

Other recent developments have brought another important figure in the investigation back into the news.

Faridah Ali, wife of close Street ally Imam Shamsud-din Ali, was awarded a concessions contract at Lincoln Financial Field despite missing important financial documents in her application, the Inquirer reported.

During the campaign, Ali was described as Street's liaison to the Muslim community and as a strong supporter. In the days immediately following the public disclosure of the FBI investigation, agents raided Ali's home and office and confiscated computers and documents.

At least four other Linc vendors have ties to either White or Ali, according to the Inquirer.

Officials in charge of awarding contracts at the field, however, say that nothing was amiss with the process of awarding these contracts.

General Manager of Penn Sportservice John Nuttall, who is a key figure in hiring vendors at the Linc, said that they tried to keep the contract application process as fair and open as possible, and that nearly all those that desired a contract were awarded one.

"That process was exactly how we explained it," Nuttall said. "We had a series of outreach meetings that anybody was invited to come to. That was the sum total."

Nuttall said that nearly half of the vendors that applied for contracts at LFF had initiated contact with the Philadelphia Eagles themselves. However, the others were contacted by various groups, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Minority Business Enterprise Council.

"Where those folks came from, how they came to the Eagles, I don't know," Nuttall said. "I have no idea how the invitations were handled."

Nuttall was also unable to determine how many of the vendors that were eventually awarded contracts had sought out the business on their own.

Additionally, MBEC contracts at the airport and other venues have been under scrutiny since the beginning of the investigation.

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