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Press Release

News Release

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Joseph Villante, age 47, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged today by information with bank bribery, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. The information charges that from approximately January through June 2006, Villante, a vice president and relationship manager at Republic First Bank, solicited approximately $110,000 from a bank customer as a reward for assisting the customer in obtaining two loans from the bank.

If convicted the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 30 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Judy G. Smith.

UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE    
EASTERN DISTRICT, PENNSYLVANIA                    
615 Chestnut Street    
Suite 1250,                                      

Philadelphia, PA  19106

Contact: PATTY HARTMAN

Media Contact: 215-861-8525

Click here to view the indictment

An Indictment, Information or Criminal Complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

COPIES OF NEWS MEMOS AND RELATED DOCUMENTS CAN ALSO BE FOUND AT http://www.justice.gov/usao/pae

Updated December 15, 2014