Philadelphia public defender charged with selling witness details

Hassan Bennett, 43, faces a $1 million bail amount after being arrested Tuesday morning on charges of bribery and witness intimidation. The public defender also serves as chair of the Philadelphia Citizens Police Oversight Commission.

District Attorney Larry Krasner announced the charges at a Tuesday news conference. Prosecutors allege Bennett provided sensitive documents to Thomas Scott, a man who had publicly threatened a witness on social media in an attempted murder case. Evidence indicates Scott paid Bennett for the information.

Investigators stated that Bennett used his position to access the city’s case management system. An audit log confirmed he viewed materials that, according to the DA's office, could only have been obtained by someone in his specific role. Bennett allegedly gave Scott the witness’s full name and read him the unredacted arrest report.

Krasner described the incident as a fundamental blow to the criminal justice system. "It is a fundamental blow at the heart of the criminal justice system when people engage in the intimidation of witnesses," Krasner said. "Even more so when the case involves extreme violence. It obstructs justice."

Scott, who was arrested on October 1, has been set for $3 million bail. Bennett had a complex legal history prior to this case. He was acquitted of murder in 2019 after spending more than a decade in prison for a West Philadelphia homicide. During those two trials, he represented himself as his own attorney.

Krasner noted that the prosecution flows directly from the facts. "What we are doing here, frankly, simply flows from the facts," Krasner said. "I would like to be in a position to say that this defendant had no such involvement, but he did, and the evidence is strong."