Attorney and mom of inmate accused of smuggling contraband into Philly prison
Paul DiMaio, 56, of Turnersville, and Tanya Culver, 55, of North Philadelphia, were each charged with one count of providing contraband to an inmate at the Federal Detention Center.
A defense attorney and an inmate’s mother have been arrested and charged with smuggling contraband, including drugs, into a Philadelphia prison where it was given to an inmate.
Paul DiMaio, 56, of Turnersville, and Tanya Culver, 55, of North Philadelphia, were each charged with one count of providing contraband to an inmate and aiding and abetting, officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said Friday.
It’s not the first time DiMaio has been accused of wrongdoing.
A former Johnston, Rhode Island, police officer, DiMaio resigned from the department in 2008 amid allegations that he had sex with a 16-year-old girl while on duty, according to the Providence Journal. No criminal charges were filed because the teenager said the sex was consensual and the age of consent in Rhode Island is 16.
In the recent federal case, it was just before 11 a.m. Feb. 4, when DiMaio entered the Federal Detention Center at Seventh and Arch Streets in Philadelphia with two expandable “redweld” type folders. DiMaio signed a Bureau of Prisons form that warns against bringing prohibited objects, including drugs, intoxicants, telephones and electronic devices into the FDC.
Prison surveillance video shows that DiMaio carried both folders into a visitation room where he met with an inmate who was not his client, authorities said in a statement.
After the 18-minute meeting, DiMaio is seen on video surveillance leaving the room with just one folder, authorities said.
Surveillance footage shows the inmate did not have a folder when he entered the meeting with DiMaio, but prison personnel later saw the inmate with one, officials said.
A search of the folder yielded a Motorola cell phone, charging cord, 83 strips of Suboxone, a Schedule III controlled substance, and 240 loose cigarettes, authorities said.
Culver, the mother of a different inmate, traveled with DiMaio to the federal prison on Feb. 4 and is alleged to have helped acquire the contraband and communicated with DiMaio, officials said.
DiMaio, who has an office at 1500 Walnut St., was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar in April 2010 and has faced no disciplinary action in the state. DiMaio and Culver did not return phone messages from The Inquirer.
The FBI investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael R. Miller is prosecuting it.
If convicted, DiMaio and Culver each face up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
In the Johnston, R.I., case, Police Chief Richard Tamburini told the Providence Journal that DiMaio resigned after nine years on the force when he knew he was facing serious “departmental charges.” He described DiMaio as a good officer who got involved with a teenager who had “issues.”
It was the second time he had been disciplined. He was a school resource officer at a high school in 2006 when he was suspended for six months without pay for conduct unbecoming of an officer. DiMaio had become “too friendly” with students and an internal investigation determined that he had not kept the proper demeanor for a police officer, Tamburini told the Providence Journal.
DiMaio has been trying federal and state criminal cases in Philadelphia for close to 15 years. “As a former police officer, and the son of a prominent New England criminal defense attorney, he offers a unique perspective to his cases and defenses that few other attorneys can offer,” his website reads.
“He has established a phenomenal reputation with both the District Attorney’s Office and judges, further ensuring that his clients get the best outcomes. Mr. DiMaio believes that his law practice can offer both an expert experience and personable counsel,” the website states.
Staff writer Ellie Rushing contributed to this article.