Lawyer Puts on Rally Cap at Traffic Trial
By Jenny DeHuff
Comparing the new defunct Philadelphia Traffic Court to the major leagues in baseball, defense lawyer Lou Busico left what might be a home run yesterday, during his closing argument in the federal corruption trial of six former judges and a Chinatown businessman.
"Sorry guys, but this is like the minor leagues of the judiciary," he said. "This is the sandlot of the judiciary."
Busico represents Thomasine Tynes, the retired president judge of Philadelphia Traffic Court.
"He lost his job. He's a good man. Let him go home," he said.
Angie Halim, a lawyer for defendant Robert Mulgrew, said her client would preside over anywhere from 100 to 200 cases a day in Traffic Court.
"Mr. Mulgrew did the best that he could in an imperfect system," she said. "It was never the best system, but it wasn't a fixed system. He got elected and presided impartially over cases."
William McSwain represents defendant District Judge Mark Bruno, from Chester County, who sat on the bench at Traffic Court only on a substitute basis a handful of times a year. He painted the entire case as a hodgepodge of government "guesses, assumptions and speculations."
"The government assumes the worst about these tickets. They're on a crusade against Traffic Court," he said, "and it's off the charts."
Closing arguments from Paul Hetznecker, lawyer for Robert Moy, the seventh and final defendant in the case, are scheduled for Monday morning.
Moy owns the Chinatown business Number One Translations, which guaranteed a surefire way to get no points or fewer points on the driver's licenses of ticket holders. He is accused of being in cahoots with one or more of the judges on trial. Lawyers for former Traffic Court judges Willie Singletary and Michael Sullivan gave their closings earlier in the week.

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