PHILADELPHIA (June 1, 2022) – A jury convened by the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas has found former Philadelphia Police Homicide detective Philip Nordo (DOB: 5/20/1966), guilty of Rape, Sexual Assault, Indecent Assault, Official Oppression, Stalking, and other offenses related to his abuse of three victims, who were witnesses and informants during the course of his official work. Nordo was also found guilty of Theft by Deception for stealing crime reward money in the murder of off-duty Philadelphia Police Officer Moses Walker, which Nordo diverted to one of his victims, by falsely claiming that victim helped solve the murder of Officer Walker.
District Attorney Larry Krasner said:
“I want to thank the jury of Philadelphia residents for their service over the past two and a half weeks. This verdict upholds justice for victims of sexual assault, upholds the integrity of law enforcement who respect and follow the law, and upholds conviction integrity. As this verdict establishes, Detective Nordo’s predatory crimes, corruption, abuse of a position of public trust, and disregard for the integrity of homicide investigations and victims and survivors are jaw-dropping and deeply shameful for the criminal justice system.
“Sadly, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office had an opportunity to stop Nordo in his tracks as early as 2005, before he became a homicide detective and committed these crimes. At that time, the DAO was provided with very strong evidence of sexual misconduct by Nordo toward a young man he was interrogating, and disregarded it at a time when the Philly DAO was not known for holding law enforcement accountable, to put it mildly. The difference between a DAO that stood for coverup of crimes by law enforcement and our DAO, which stands for evenhanded accountability when law enforcement commit crimes, is clear.
“Mr. Nordo is now being held accountable for the many disturbing ways in which he abused his oath and his badge to hurt and threaten vulnerable young men. His actions undoubtedly destroyed trust between members of the public and law enforcement.
“This incredibly difficult and complex criminal case has many victims, beyond the three people who testified under oath while acknowledging the pain and trauma they still feel, as well as shame due to stigma that is still so outrageously persistent in our culture. Nordo’s misconduct produced a number of wrongful convictions that have been overturned, retraumatizing and destabilizing survivors, some of whom may never know the identities of those responsible for killing their loved ones. Our office continues to review several dozen homicide convictions for which Nordo was partly responsible, as integrity requires.
“Finally, I want to thank Special Investigations Unit prosecutors Brian Collins and Vincent Corrigan, along with SIU Supervisor Lyandra Retacco and her predecessor, ADA Tracy Tripp, as well as Conviction Integrity Unit Supervisor Michael Garmisa and former CIU chief Patricia Cummings, for the years of groundbreaking work they put into this case dating back to before 2019, when Nordo was indicted by a grand jury. Having the trust of the victims was key to this prosecution, and for that we are also grateful to Angela Ly, victim/witness coordinator, and the Family Violence and Sexual Assault Unit, which along with Supervisor Cheryl Yankolonis provided support and guidance throughout the prosecution. I thank our prosecutors in every unit of the DAO for seeking justice on behalf of the Commonwealth with unmatched vigor and fidelity to their oaths.”
Nordo was fired by the Philadelphia Police Department in 2017. Following a grand jury investigation, he was arrested and charged for his crimes in 2019 and 2021. To date, the DAO Conviction Integrity Unit has reviewed approximately 62 homicide convictions in which Nordo was involved in the investigation. With support of the CIU, five people wrongfully convicted of homicide in “Nordo-claim cases” have been exonerated; two convicted people received reduced sentences and charges; one person was granted a new trial and is awaiting retrial; and four defendants are awaiting judicial response after the CIU supported vacating their convictions. One defendant’s appeal is pending after the CIU agreed to relief and a court denied a request for a new trial. One person wrongfully convicted of firearms offenses was exonerated in 2017 with support from the DAO. The CIU is currently reviewing several dozen more Nordo-claim cases.
Former police detective Philip Nordo will be sentenced by the Hon. Giovanni Campbell on August 5, 2022. At the request of prosecutors, his bail has been revoked.
CONTACT:Jane Roh, 215-686-8711, [email protected]
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The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is the largest prosecutor’s office in Pennsylvania, and one of the largest in the nation. It serves the more than 1.5 million residents of the City and County of Philadelphia, employing 600 lawyers, detectives, and support staff. The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for the prosecution of approximately 40,000 criminal cases annually. Learn more about the DAO by visiting PhillyDA.org.