PHILADELPHIA–A former credit union employee has been indicted for playing a role in allegedly helping three local officials—one of whom was a judge—to launder money.
Kevin M. Biederman, 34, a former business development manager with Philadelphia FCU, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, three counts of money laundering, and one count of bank bribery.
According to the indictment from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Biederman has been charged along with three other people: John I. Waltman, 59, of Trevose, Penn.; Robert P. Hoopes, 70, of Doylestown, Penn.; and Bernard T. Rafferty, 62, of Langhorne, Penn., who were charged in a Superseding Indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, three counts of money laundering, one count of honest services wire fraud, three counts of honest services mail fraud, and Hobbs Act extortion under color of official right.
Hoopes was also charged with one count of witness tampering.
The indictment states that from 2011 to December 2016, Waltman was a Magisterial District Judge in Bucks County, Penn. From February 2016 to December 2016, Hoopes was the Director of Public Safety in Lower Southampton, Penn., a position that gave him authority over all police, fire, and emergency operations in the township. He also previously operated a legal practice in Doylestown, Penn. From 1998 to December 2016, Rafferty was a Deputy Constable in Bucks County. Rafferty controlled Raff’s Consulting LLC, a corporation registered with the Pennsylvania Department of State on May 30, 2011.
According to the Superseding Indictment, in November 2016, Waltman, Hoopes, and Rafferty accepted a bribe of $1,000, as well as the promise of other fees, in exchange for Waltman, Hoopes, and Rafferty to use their positions as public officials to “fix” a traffic case before Waltman in Bucks County Magisterial District Court. In January 2017, Hoopes allegedly tried to influence a witness to falsely testify before the federal grand jury regarding the disposition of this $1,000 bribe, the indictment alleges.
“In addition, according to the Superseding Indictment, from June 2015 to November 2016, Waltman, Hoopes, Rafferty, and Biederman conspired to launder funds represented to be proceeds from healthcare fraud, illegal drug trafficking, and bank fraud,” the indictment reads. “Moreover, from June 2016 to August 2016, Waltman, Hoopes, Rafferty, and Biederman laundered $400,000 in cash, represented to be proceeds from healthcare fraud and illegal drug trafficking, and took money laundering fees totaling $80,000 in cash.
“Further, according to the superseding indictment, in June 2015, Biederman, who was then an employee of Philadelphia Federal Credit Union, solicited and accepted a bribe of $1,600 in exchange for agreeing to influence PFCU’s approval of a loan,” the indictment continues.
If convicted, Biederman faces a maximum possible sentence of 110 years in prison, five years of supervised release, a $2 million fine, and a $500 special assessment.
The full statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/bucks-county-public-officials-face-additional-charges