"Keep me in your prayers."
That’s what Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams told a woman as he held up the Holy Bible she handed him as he entered federal court for his corruption trial in Philadelphia Wednesday morning.
"I want to support Seth Williams because everybody needs help and I don't think he did anything wrong," Antoinette Thomas said.
Williams, who also thanked Thomas, is on trial on federal bribery charges.
"He needs somebody to pray for him," Thomas told NBC10 once Williams was inside.
Wearing a blue hat and sunglasses, Thomas said the Bible came from Deliverance Evangelistic Church, which sits on the site of the former Connie Mack Stadium on Lehigh Avenue.
Martha Addison, human resources manager for the North Philadelphia congregation, said Thomas is a member of their bible study and routinely takes part in outreach and evangelizing with the congregation.
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Williams is not a member of the church but has visited numerous times while on the campaign trail, Addison said.
Williams took office in 2010 and could have run for a third term this year, but he decided not to seek re-election. The charges against him were announced in March and his law license was suspended, but he has refused calls to resign. The 29-count indictment has been a staggering blow for a district attorney who won the office on the promise of reform and was previously tasked with rooting out corruption when he served as the city's inspector general.
