Philly Judge who Found Cop Not Guilty, Married to Cop, Exposing Clear Conflict

By Carlos Miller
PINAC
Mar. 01, 2013

The video showing Philadelphia Police Lt. Jonathan Josey punching a woman was overwhelming enough for his department to quickly fire him last year.

But it wasn’t enough for a judge to find him guilty of simple assault this week.

Now we’re learning that Municipal Judge Patrick Dugan is married to a longtime Philadelphia police officer who just happened to be one of about 100 officers in court showing their support for Josey during his non-jury trial earlier this month.

Obviously, it’s not always sunny in Philadelphia.

According to the Philadelphia Daily News:

A chorus of criticism swelled Wednesday after word spread that Dugan is married to Philadelphia Police Officer Nancy Farrell Dugan, who has been on the force since 1997, city payroll records show.

She also attended Josey’s Feb. 12 nonjury trial, sources said.

Guzman’s attorney, Enrique Latoison, said he learned Tuesday that the judge is married to a cop.

“When it was brought to my attention that his wife was a police officer, it was very surprising and I consider it to be a conflict of interest,” said Latoison, who has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the case and intends to file a civil suit against Josey on behalf of Guzman.

We should have known things were amiss when Dugan was unable to offer a verdict immediately after the February 12 trial, according to the Daily News.

But after a three-hour nonjury trial Tuesday, in which Josey testified that he accidentally hit Aida Guzman while trying to knock a beer bottle from her hand, a troubled-looking Municipal Court Judge Patrick F. Dugan seemed uncertain.

Saying he “needed more time to digest this,” Dugan said he would announce his verdict from the bench on Feb. 26.

Dugan, 52, a judge since 2007 and a decorated Army captain who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, acknowledged the groans his delay triggered.

The courtroom was packed way beyond its 109-person capacity. Most appeared to be police officers or officials of the city’s police union, and many wore the distinctive black leather uniform of the Highway Patrol, to which Josey was assigned.

So instead of recusing himself as any self-respecting judge would do, Dugan spent the next two weeks “digesting” the evidence, most which came from a 36-second video, which you can see below.

It obviously came down to siding with justice or pleasing his wife.

Call his office at this number: 215 686-7369.