Philadelphia Police Officer Charged in Cover-Up of Inappropriate Relationship
| U.S. Attorney’s Office December 12, 2012 |
PHILADELPHIA—Robertito Fontan, 41, an officer with the Philadelphia Police Department, was charged by indictment, unsealed today, with three counts of making false statements to federal investigators concerning his relationship with a woman, referred to in the indictment as Person #1, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger.
According to the indictment, in 2003, Fontan recruited Person #1, who was facing drug charges at the time and recommended her as a confidential informant to other law enforcement officers. Several months later, Fontan became intimately involved with Person #1. During their relationship, Fontan gave gifts and money to Person #1. The indictment also alleges that starting in 2007, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was investigating Person #1’s former paramour. Fontan allegedly worked on the investigation and told Person #1 that her former paramour had been indicted.
In August 2008, the FBI began investigating a suspected leak of information in the DEA investigation. As part of that investigation, agents interviewed Fontan about his relationship with Person #1 about whether he informed Person #1 that her former paramour had been indicted and about whether he gave gifts or money to Person #1. The indictment alleges that Fontan lied to the agents, denying that he had an intimate relationship with Person #1, denying that he had informed Person #1 that her former paramour had been indicted, and denying that he had given gifts or money to Person #1.
If convicted of all charges, Fontan faces a maximum possible sentence of 15 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Neuman Leverett.