By Mark Fazlollah
Thomas M. Nocella is being sued over sale of VFW land.
Newly elected Common Pleas Court Judge Thomas M. Nocella credits U.S. Rep. Bob Brady - Philadelphia's Democratic Party boss - for intervening with ward leaders to put him on the ticket.
"He is the one in control," said Nocella, 67, rated qualified for the bench by the Philadelphia Bar Association, despite having been sanctioned by the city Ethics Commission in 2009.
He pointed out that he had done years of free legal work for the party and said the judgeship was his reward. "That's the way it's done in Pennsylvania," he said.
On Jan. 2, he will begin drawing a $165,000 judicial salary. Nocella welcomes the new income because there is a $358,000 IRS lien against him, the state says he ignored local taxes for years, and he has more than $1 million in debts listed in a bankruptcy case.
Vince Fumo was resentenced by U.S. District Judge Ronald Buckwalter last week. He tagged another 6 months onto Fumo's original sentence. In this Newsworks article Buckwalter sums up what is wrong with the Philadelphia political machine.
"I'll never understand Philadelphia politics. Not in my life," said Judge Ronald Buckwalter after listening to Fumo speak for more than an hour.
How in the wide world of sports can a Judge say he is getting $165,000 in salary for FREE legal work?
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