Lawyer Sentenced to Two Years for Role in Public Corruption Case

PHILADELPHIA—Lawyer Andrew Teitelman, 50, of Newtown, PA, was sentenced today to 24 months in prison and a $5,000 fine for his role in a corruption case involving a former aide to a city councilman, announced U.S. Attorney Michael L. Levy. Teitelman and co-defendants Christopher Wright and Ravinder S. Chawla were convicted at trial last February of conspiracy to commit honest services mail and wire fraud, honest services mail fraud, and mail fraud. Wright was sentenced to 48 months. Chawla was sentenced to 30 months.Wright had served as chief of staff to a Philadelphia city council member. Chawla was a real estate developer and Teitelman is Chawla’s attorney. Chawla and Teitelman arranged a free apartment and free legal services for Wright in exchange for his using his official position as a city councilman’s aide to garner special treatment for them.

In May 2006, Chawla and Teitelman, aware that Wright needed a place to live because of marital and financial difficulties, offered him the opportunity to live rent-free in a Delancey Street apartment in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square area; an offer which Wright accepted. Chawla and Teitelman then implemented a scheme to place Wright in the apartment, which came with a free parking space, by playing the real estate version of a “shell game” with sellers and buyers of the building to ensure that Wright continued to live rent-free. In March 2007, when the new owner of the building on Delancey Street began eviction proceedings against Wright, Teitelman provided free legal services throughout the eviction process. In exchange, Chawla and Teitelman expected Wright to curry favor with city officials to benefit Chawla development projects.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Bresnick and Jennifer Arbittier Williams.

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