Authorities have charged nine current and former Philadelphia police officers with allegedly profiting off of a youth boxing initiative that received nearly $400,000 in city grant funding.
The group is accused of improperly earning money from the initiative, “Guns Down, Gloves Up,” sometimes “during their scheduled work hours,” the PPD said in a statement. Each is being charged with conspiracy and theft-related crimes.
Five of the accused officers – Brittanie Crockett, Daniel Moll, Janae McDonald, Mark DiGenio and Michael Minor – have been suspended, as the department goes through the process of attempting to fire them. All have been on administrative duty since a probe into the initiative began two years ago, police officials said.
The four other defendants – Robyn Gee, George Gee, LaCarmela Fortune and Nashid Akil – are no longer on the force.
Minor was a member of the Highway Patrol Unit; the other officers were assigned to the North Philadelphia’s 22nd Police District, where the boxing program was based.
Akil, 46, a former captain and commanding officer of the 22nd District, founded “Guns Down, Gloves Up,” and Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration awarded the initiative a $392,000 grant in 2021.
In January 2023, the Inquirer reported that nearly $76,000 in grant funding had flowed to Akil and other PPD employees, in violation of city rules.
“I am deeply troubled by this entire situation – as all Philadelphia Police Officers are expected to maintain the highest level of professional and ethical standards,” Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said in a statement Friday.
“However, I am particularly disappointed by the involvement of a former commanding officer. PPD commanders are expected to set the standard for integrity and accountability, and to look out for the best interests of their subordinate officers and the communities we serve.”
Akil, Crockett, McDonald, Robyn and George Gee, and Fortune were each released pending further proceedings, according to court documents. No attorneys were listed, and no information had been uploaded Sunday to the docket system for Moll, DiGenio and Minor.
