Five former city workers accused of ransacking homes are scheduled to go on trial on Monday.
Four of nine original defendants in the case have pleaded guilty.
The nine, who were current or former employees of the city’s Community Life Improvement Program, were arrested in mid-December 2009 and charged with stealing cash, jewelry, furniture, weapons and other personal possessions from five homes, four of them in the Northeast, between mid-2006 and January 2008.
The men had been sent to the homes to address quality-of-life issues, but instead they stole from victims who were too helpless or too afraid to report them, the DA’s office alleged.
The remaining defendants are:
• Rycharde “Rick” Sicinski of the 9300 block of Germania St., an L&I employee who was head CLIP inspector.
• Henry Turrentine of the 800 block Brighton St., an L&I employee who served as CLIP crew chief.
• Algie Cuffee Sr. of the 100 block of E. Tulpehocken St., a retired CLIP subcrew chief.
• Algie Cuffee Jr. of Upper Darby, Cuffee Sr.’s son. The younger Cuffee allegedly sold or gave away guns taken from homes CLIP crews cleaned. He supposedly also was on a CLIP crew.
• CLIP crew member Jermaine Adderly of the 1500 block of N. Wanamaker St.
In August 2010, CLIP crew member Lamont Williams, of the 800 block of E. Woodlawn St., pleaded guilty to official oppression, criminal conspiracy, theft and other charges, according to Assistant District Attorney Sharon Piper.
In September 2010, CLIP crew member Anthony Scarcia, of the 4200 block of Knorr St., pleaded guilty.
In March of this year, CLIP crew member Wilfredo Cintron, of the 3400 block of B St., and CLIP crew member William Roldan, of the 7000 block of Rising Sun Ave., pleaded guilty to participating in a corrupt organization, criminal conspiracy, theft, receiving stolen property, illegal transfer of a firearm and perjury, said Piper, who added Scarcia had pleaded his guilt to the same charges.
Five of the men were city workers when they were arrested in 2009. One later resigned, and four were fired.
A grand jury began looking into CLIP after special agents from the Gun Violence Task Force tied guns that had been found to be illegally owned to one of the former CLIP workers and then to two of the homes visited by CLIP crews. ••
Reporter John Loftus can be reached at 215–354–3110 or jloftus@bsmphilly.com
