Harry P. Jannotti (June 18, 1924 – September 3, 1998) was a Democratic politician who served as a member of the Philadelphia City Council.

Early life

Jannotti graduated from Northeast High School, and attended

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then calle ...

. Before running for office, he worked as chief deputy clerk to the City Council for several years.

Political career

City Council

A protégé of Councilman George Schwartz, Jannotti was first recruited to run in 1969 for the Seventh District seat vacated by Joseph J. Hersch. He was elected successfully by defeating challengers such as Frank Talent, and steadily gained power over the ensuing decade. By the late 1970s, both Jannotti and Schwartz were at the height of their power. Schwartz had been elected Council President, while Jannotti was the council's Majority Leader, Chairman of its Finance Committee, and Vice Chairman of its Rules and Appropriations Committee. Additionally, he was a member of the City Gas Commission and head the city's gift property program, through which abandoned homes were given to low-income people to renovate and live in. Jannotti had also been elected leader of the Democratic City Committee's 19th Ward, and ran his political operation out of a tavern he owned.

Abscam involvement

In 1980, Jannotti met with two men at a suite at the

Barclay Hotel The Barclay Hotel was located at 237 S. 18th St. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Rittenhouse Square. Opened in October 1929, it was, at one time, the most famous hotel in the city, and was owned by the well-known developer John McShain. After a l ...

Rittenhouse Square Rittenhouse Square is a neighborhood, including a public park, in Center City Philadelphia. The park is one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn and his surveyor Thomas Holme during the late 17th century. The neighborho ...

. The men claimed to represent an Arab Sheikh who was interested in building a hotel in Philadelphia. The men, who were actually

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

agents, agreed to pay Jannotti $10,000 in exchange for his use of his influence over Council to get the project approved. The scandal would later come to be known as "

Abscam Abscam (sometimes written ABSCAM) was an FBI sting operation in the late 1970s and early 1980s that led to the convictions of seven members of the United States Congress, among others, for bribery and corruption. The two-year investigation init ...

" (short for Arab Scam), and would take-down five Congressman, including First District Congressman Ozzie Myers, who would become the first member of the House to be expelled since the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, and two other members of City Council–Schwartz and Louis Johanson. Jannotti was indicted on charges of accepting a bribe, extortion and conspiracy on May 23, 1980. Both Jannotti and Schwartz initially claimed that they were entrapped into taking the bribes. Indeed, the Abscam investigation would later come under criticism for excess involvement by government agents seeking to push bribes on public officials. Both men were initially convicted of the charges against them, but later had their convictions overturned by the District Court, which agreed with their assertion that they were entrapped. However, the

Appellate Court A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of ...

later reversed the District Court's decision and reinstated the verdicts. The case finally reached the Supreme Court in mid-1982, and in the first high court ruling on Abscam, the court concurred with the Appellate Court's findings and let the convictions stand. Both men began serving their sentences in Federal Prison on April 22, 1985. Jannotti had been sentenced to six months in prison and fined $2,000. He would serve close to five months of the sentence, during which time he was incarcerated in Allenwood Federal Prison in Gregg Township, Union County.

Later life

Unlike Schwartz, who quickly resigned both as Council President, and later as a member of Council altogether, Jannotti held his seat until his term expired in 1984, despite objections from several of his colleagues, including John Street. He was instrumental in getting his longtime administrative aide, Patricia Hughes, elected to succeed him in 1983. After he was released from prison, Jannotti, again unlike Schwartz, attempted a political comeback. He was again elected leader of the 19th Ward, and once again ran his operation out of his tavern. However, his political comeback began to unravel in 1987. That year, he sought to return to City Council, and once again represent the Seventh District. Hughes, however, decided to seek re-election. Further, she sought to block Jannotti's name from even appearing on the ballot, citing a provision in the State Constitution that prohibits anyone convicted of "infamous crimes" from holding "any office of trust or profit." One day before the Democratic primary, the

State Supreme Court In the United States, a state supreme court (known by other names in some states) is the highest court in the state judiciary of a U.S. state. On matters of state law, the judgment of a state supreme court is considered final and binding in b ...

ordered Jannotti's name be removed from the ballot. Hughes went on to lose the general election to

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Jack Kelly. A year later, Jannotti lost his ward leadership post to State Representative Ralph Acosta, a loss some attributed to the increasing Hispanic population of the 19th Ward. Jannotti died of cancer ten years later.

References

External links

Philadelphia Inquirer Article Collections: Abscam
''archival of selected news'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Jannotti, Harry P. Pennsylvania Democrats Philadelphia City Council members Politicians convicted of extortion under color of official right Place of birth missing Place of death missing 1998 deaths Temple University alumni Deaths from cancer in Pennsylvania 1924 births Pennsylvania politicians convicted of corruption 20th-century American politicians People convicted in the Abscam scandal