Philadelphia's former City Representative is planning to file a defamation lawsuit against the city's Controller after he accused her of using a special account as a "slush fund."
Attorney Joe H. Tucker, Jr. said his client, Desiree Peterkin-Bell, never personally benefited when spending money from The Mayor's Fund, a nonprofit designed to collect funding from events like the Philadelphia Marathon and use them for city improvement projects.
Tucker told NBC10 he plans to send a letter to city controller Alan Butkovitz on Friday notifying him about the impending lawsuit.
At a news conference Tuesday, Butkovitz released findings of an audit into spending of Mayor's Fund money. Peterkin-Bell, a close aide to mayor Michael Nutter, was the fund's chair.
First Deputy Controller Bill Rubin said in response to Tucker's threat of a lawsuit: “In the course of doing our work, from time to time, there is legal action involved. With the last two incidents, one case was dismissed and the other resulted in a federal indictment against a contractor who worked for the former Sheriff."
In his report, Butkovitz questioned tens of thousands of dollars in charges from hotel room spending to a shoe purchase.
“I find it absolutely intolerable the former chairperson used this account to purchase shoes," the controller told reporters. “It appears the former chairperson used the account as if it were a special slush fund."
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Peterkin-Bell denied any misuse. Nutter unleashed a scathing tirade against Butkovitz calling him a "liar, a snake and a hypocrite."
Peterkin-Bell's intention to sue was first reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer's Claudia Vargas.
