Newly unsealed court documents from a 2012 federal sentencing hearing show that an attorney for Raymond Horsch stated his client possessed a letter from former Philadelphia Mayor John Street instructing police not to arrest him.
True
The former Philadelphia mayor asked police not to arrest Raymond Horsch, according to court documents.
Raymond Horsch had letter from former Mayor John Street telling police ‘don’t arrest him,’ attorney told federal judge
Source: inquirer.com
At a glance
Verified November 4, 2026Key Evidence
Unsealed transcripts from a 2012 federal sentencing hearing indicate that Raymond Horsch's defense attorney told a federal judge his client possessed a letter from former Philadelphia Mayor John Street telling police not to arrest him.
The assertion was documented in court records associated with Horsch's legal proceedings from his 2009 drug case.
The reporting
What the Evidence Shows
Newly unsealed federal court records reveal that during a 2009 drug case, attorneys representing Raymond Horsch asserted that their client possessed a letter from former Philadelphia Mayor John Street directing police not to make an arrest. According to transcripts from Horsch's 2012 federal sentencing hearing, the claim was presented to a federal judge by defense counsel detailing the unusual document recovered or referenced in connection with the defendant.inquirer.cominquirer.comRaymond Horsch had letter from former Mayor John Street telling police ‘don’t...According to transcripts unsealed from Raymond "R.C." Horsch's 2012 federal sentencing hearing for drug and weapons charges, Horsch's defense attorney, Jerome Brown, told U.S. District Judge R. Barclay Surrick that his client possessed a...
The documentation surfaced as part of a broader release of court files concerning Horsch, who operated as a federal informant and was later tied to investigations involving drug trafficking, fraud, and other serious offenses before his death in 2025. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported these specific details from the unsealed transcripts, substantiating the assertion that defense attorneys claimed the former mayor intervened or provided a directive regarding police action against Horsch.inquirer.cominquirer.comRaymond Horsch had letter from former Mayor John Street telling police ‘don’t...According to transcripts unsealed from Raymond "R.C." Horsch's 2012 federal sentencing hearing for drug and weapons charges, Horsch's defense attorney, Jerome Brown, told U.S. District Judge R. Barclay Surrick that his client possessed a...
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