Commonwealth v. L.F.

L.F. was the subject of a weeks-long drug investigation. Police allegedly utilized a confidential informant to purchase crack cocaine from L.F. and a co-defendant on multiple occasions, which the police claimed they observed. Officers ultimately obtained a search warrant to search two residences that the police associated with L.F., which they believed were being used to store narcotics and guns. Police arrested L.F. outside one of the residences and claimed that L.F. had a key to the house. Inside of both houses, police allegedly seized large amounts of crack cocaine and several guns. Prior to trial, top Philadelphia lawyer, Mr. Patrick Link utilized his own confidential sources and discovered that the officers involved had lengthy Internal Affairs files which included positive drug tests for two of the officers, and a third who had been investigated for forging documents relating to another confidential informant. The defense filed multiple motions to produce these Internal Affairs records, and over the objection of the City Solicitor and the DA’s Office, the trial judge ordered the records be produced to the defense. However, the Commonwealth continued to attempt to evade the judge’s orders and as a result delayed the case repeatedly. As a result of this delay, the defense filed a motion to dismiss with prejudice on speedy trial grounds under Rule 600(a), which was granted by the judge.