A former salesman with a Delaware County billboard company faces felony charges for allegedly trying to mislead federal investigators about alleged bribes involving two former Lower Southampton public officials who are defendants in an ongoing corruption probe.
Robert DeGoria, former vice president of asset development for Catalyst Outdoor Advertising LLC, is charged with one count of false statements for allegedly lying to special agents with the IRS and FBI about intended payments to a company that federal investigators contend was used for money laundering, according to a charging documents filed Wednesday with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia.
Court documents allege that DeGoria engaged in discussions with former Lower Southampton District Judge John Waltman and former Lower Southampton Public Safety Director Robert P. Hoopes in November 2016 where the public officials agreed to accept concealed bribe payments through Raff’s Consulting from DeGoria and Southampton Outdoor LLC, a Catalyst subsidiary.
“Specifically in several of these discussions, defendant DeGoria proposed increasing payments to Raff’s Consulting in exchange for Waltman and Hoopes using their influence to lower (the company’s) annual lease payments to Lower Southampton,” according to the court filings.
In an emailed statement on Thursday, DeGoria’s attorney, Henry Hockeimer, stated that his client acknowledges that he was “not truthful” with “certain” answers he gave investigators in November 2016. “He also acknowledges that this was wrong and he will face the consequences of his conduct.” The lease agreement never came before Lower Southampton supervisors for a vote.
The bribery allegations involving DeGoria surfaced last month a second superseding grand jury indictment that alleged Waltman, 60, of Lower Southampton and Hoopes, 70, of Doylestown Township, extorted or attempted to extort money or other actions from businesses in exchange for promises to use their political influence with local municipal officials to secure favors.
The Dec. 5 indictment included excerpts from text messages and telephone conversations between Waltman, Hoopes, “Solicitor 1” and DeGoria regarding “consulting fees” that the sign company would pay Raff’s Consulting in exchange for the two officials’ assurances that the board of supervisors and other township officials would look favorably on the billboard proposal and lease agreement.
Raff’s Consulting was a business owned by former Lower Southampton deputy state constable, Bernard Rafferty, 63, of Lower Southampton. Rafferty is also charged in the ongoing probe.
DeGoria appeared before the Lower Southampton supervisors in April 2016 to pitch a proposed LED billboard project in Russell Elliott Park as a revenue generator for the township. He later submitted a proposal offering the township $48,000 a year in rent over 30 years, according to the Dec. 5 indictment.
In early November 2016, DeGoria sent a revised term sheet to “Solicitor 1” — described in the indictment as Lower Southampton’s then-township Solicitor — offering $60,000 a year over 30 years and afterward, according to the Dec. 5 indictment.
Over the next few weeks, though, the deal started to fall apart after Waltman and Hoopes allegedly balked at the amount of the kickback DeGoria offered, according to the indictment. DeGoria wanted to give Waltman a one-time payment of $3,000 as a consulting fee, but Waltman was expecting annual payments, according to the filing.
Waltman, Hoopes and Rafferty face a list of charges including Hobbs Act extortion offenses, money laundering, conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud. Waltman and Hoopes each face additional charges of Travel Act bribery, mail fraud, and use of interstate facilities to promote and facilitate bribery. Hoopes is also charged with witness tampering.
Also charged in the federal probe is Kevin Biederman, 34, of Philadelphia, a former manager at Philadelphia Federal Credit Union, who faces charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering, money laundering and bank bribery.
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