PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A longtime SEPTA supervisor has admitted to demanding bribes of concert tickets and cash from a company that maintained SEPTA's security cameras.
James Stevens, 70, of Somerdale, New Jersey admitted in federal court Tuesday that he pressed a contractor for a total of $86,000 in bribes in the form of cash payments, Barbra Streisand and Billy Joel concert tickets, restaurant dinners and hotel rooms.
In return, Stevens — who formerly oversaw SEPTA's video surveillance operations — steered lucrative surveillance camera maintenance contracts to Spector Logistics of Delaware.
Prosecutors said between 2014 and 2018, Robert Welsh of Spector continued to give in to Stevens' demands because his business likely couldn't survive without the SEPTA contracts worth millions.
Stevens' attorney Rhonda Lowe says her client has accepted responsibility, pleading guilty to charges including bribery, extortion and honest services mail fraud.
“Mr. Stevens had worked for SEPTA almost 40 years at that point, and he made a lot of unwise, bad decisions with regard to the relationship he had with Mr. Welsh,” said Lowe.
“I believe that he is most likely going to lose his pension that he worked all of those years for. So I can't even begin to imagine how he feels about moving forward with this chapter of his life.”
Welsh previously pleaded guilty to his role. He faces sentencing on March 5. Stevens’ sentencing hearing is tentatively scheduled for May 16.