Parole officer accused of extorting bribes

Kenneth Dupree loves his country, as evidenced by the number of Ol' Glories that dot his front lawn and an "I USA" placard hanging on the front porch of his Northeast Philadelphia home.

The 46-year former parole officer also loves quality countertops, as alleged by the state Attorney General yesterday.

Dupree, of Benner Street near Jackson, was arrested Thursday and charged with bribery and other offenses involving alleged extortion of parolees he supervised, the Attorney General's Office announced.

Dupree, a married father of two, had worked at the parole board's Northeast Division Office of Probation and Parole. He is believed to have solicited and taken cash bribes from parolees for ignoring positive drug tests, letting parolees skip drug tests and allowing them to be on the street despite parole violations.

One man under his supervision, Carlos Rivera, who worked at a countertop store, told the grand jury that Dupree invited him to his Northeast home and asked for three slabs of Corian countertops that cost $10,000 each, according to the grand jury presentment.

When Rivera told Dupree that his boss would be suspicious if three slabs went missing, the then-parole officer wasn't fazed by the quandary.

"Oh, you can make it happen," he told Rivera, according to the document.

Rivera ignored the request.