As widely reported in Philadelphia media, after a seven-day trial, a federal jury returned a verdict acquitting ex-L&I Deputy Commissioner Dominic Verdi of all charges against him. Mr. Verdi had been the subject of a six-year investigation and prosecution by federal authorities who accused him of accepting bribes from and extorting various owners of bars, restaurants, and clubs who fell under the jurisdiction of L&I. Mr. Verdi had invested money in a beer distributorship and federal authorities alleged that Mr. Verdi, as an L&I official, did favors for and protected any business that purchased beer from that distributorship. He was also accused of accepting envelopes full of cash.
However, in contrast to the allegations, the evidence at trial failed to prove that Mr. Verdi had engaged in any of those actions. Rather, Mr. Verdi appeared simply to have a conflict of interest — but one that he did not allow to impact the manner in which he performed his job as an L&I official.
The jury returned its verdict after only a few hours of deliberation. Â Mr. Verdi was represented by KRMF attorney Susan Lin.