DAO Charges Police Oversight Chair Hassan Bennett With Intimidation

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and the District Attorney’s Office Gun Violence Task Force announced charges on October 27, 2026, against Hassan Bennett, the chair of the Philadelphia Citizens Police Oversight Commission, for selling sensitive information about a witness in a domestic violence case, according to a press release from phillyda.org.

Bennett, who also works as an employee of the Defender Association of Philadelphia, faces multiple felony charges alongside co-defendant Thomas Scott. The charges approved by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office include intimidation of a witness or victim, conspiracy, bribery, and criminal use of a communication facility. The investigation into the pair began in August 2026 after the Gun Violence Task Force flagged recorded prison calls and social media activity involving Scott.

Recorded Threats and the Sale of Sensitive Files

Investigators discovered that Scott was attempting to intimidate a witness in an open attempted murder case. Audio recordings captured Scott stating he was searching for the witness’s location, demanding the witness recant, and threatening to harm the individual in broad daylight. During one of these monitored prison calls, investigators recorded Scott speaking with Bennett.

According to the DAO, Bennett read an arrest report aloud to Scott during the call and provided the witness’s full name. Scott subsequently requested a physical copy of the paperwork and offered Bennett $500. Digital forensics confirmed that Scott obtained the documents and distributed them to third parties to pressure the witness into withholding testimony.

“Our criminal legal system relies on victims and witnesses coming forward to provide information and, in many cases, testify in court,” said District Attorney Larry Krasner in the official announcement. “As a result, our office takes their safety very seriously, and any time someone tries to intimidate a witness or engages in conduct that threatens the safety of a witness, we will act with swiftness and determination.”

Krasner added that Bennett’s actions violated the public trust but emphasized that the criminal charges do not reflect on the broader work of the Citizens Police Oversight Commission or the Defender Association of Philadelphia.

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Assistant District Attorney William Fritze, chief of the Gun Violence Task Force and director of the GVTF Digital Forensics Lab, called the allegations disgraceful. He noted that someone entrusted with police oversight and employed by the Defender Association sold information that could have caused severe harm to a victim. The investigation involved coordination with the Attorney General’s Office, the Philadelphia Police Department, the Philadelphia Department of Prisons Security and Intelligence Unit, and the FBI.

Bennett Faces New Charges with Million Dollar Bail

Bennett was previously convicted of second-degree murder in 2008. He was acquitted in 2019 during a retrial. That retrial followed testimony from a victim and a co-defendant stating that a homicide detective had coerced their original statements implicating Bennett.

Following the new charges announced in October 2026, Thomas Scott is being held on $3 million bail. Hassan Bennett is being held on $1 million bail.

The DAO’s Victim Services Unit is providing support and safety assessments for individuals connected to the case. Mariel Delacruz, director of the Victim Services Unit, stated that her team works to ensure witnesses and victims receive guidance throughout the prosecution process.