Former Bail Supervisor at Phila. Prison Ready To Fight Embezzlement Charges
By Tony Hanson
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The attorney for a former Philadelphia court supervisor says his client will plead not guilty after being charged by a grand jury with stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in bail money.
Steven Martorano, 42, allegedly stole more than $150,000 during 2010 and 2011, while he supervised the bail acceptance unit at the Curran-Fromhold Prison, on State Road.
A grand jury charged that Martorano took advantage of lax supervision by the now-defunct Clerk of Quarter Sessions to steal the money because struggling business ventures has put him in a "precarious financial state."
But defense attorney Michael DeFino says Martorano will plead not guilty.
"He asserts his innocence," DeFino said today. "It's a highly circumstantial case where a number of people could have taken these funds."
Charges against Martorano include theft and tampering with public records. He is currently free on bail.