Philadelphia worker charged with selling city records, pocketing cash

Kelly Kaufmann Layre allegedly had a special deal for three customers in Philadelphia's records department.

She charged them as little as $5 for traffic and other reports that cost as much as $25, and in return they paid her in cash, which she pocketed, according to charges the U.S. Attorney's Office in Philadelphia brought against her and three others Thursday.

The office said that Layre's alleged actions had cost the city about $600,000 over four years ending in 2010, and that Layre had kept $185,776. She was charged with soliciting a bribe.

Layre and her lawyer could not be reached for comment.

She risks losing her city pension if convicted, and would have to pay restitution.

The federal government also charged Tina Marie Meyrick, Paul Kling, and Brian Daly with a single count each of bribery, alleging they gave Layre cash in exchange for the discounts.

Records Commissioner Joan Decker and Mayor Nutter said the city was considering installing cameras and removing cubicles to make it more difficult for such crimes to occur.

Decker said it had been challenging to monitor Layre because she worked in an "extremely active room" that processed thousands of requests yearly.

The city brings in about $2.2 million yearly from selling the reports.

Nutter and Philadelphia's inspector general, Amy Kurland, who got a tip and began investigating Layre, said they could not provide details on how the defendants may have given Layre cash because the case was still under investigation.

"This should send a message that city employees must uphold the public trust at all times in their official duties," Kurland said.

Meyrick, of Hatboro, owned Auto Accident Research Service, which provided police and emergency medical reports to law firms and other organizations.

Her lawyer, Michael F. Dunn, said his client "is not going to contest the fact that she obtained records from Kelly Layre for less than the amount that the city was charging." He and Meyrick still were working out details of her plea, he said. Her company is no longer in business, Dunn said.

Kling, who lives in Hatfield and owns PSE Services, a records company, and Daly, who lives in Chalfont and works for Metro Filing Services, could not be reached.

at 215-854-5520 or hillmb@phillynews.com.