Nancy Winkelman, a former supervisor in the Philadelphia District Attorney's office, has been suspended from practicing in federal court for three years after a disciplinary panel determined she misled a judge while attempting to overturn a death sentence. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania found that Winkelman knowingly made misrepresentations in the case of convicted murderer Robert Wharton, who was sentenced to death for the 1984 murders of Bradley and Ferne Hart.
The disciplinary panel's findings, which were sealed until recently, indicated that Winkelman was complicit in a policy aimed at vacating all death sentences on appeal. The panel's recommendation for suspension was adopted by Chief Judge Wendy Beetlestone on March 9, following the panel's October 27 recommendation.
The case involved prosecutors from Krasner's office who sought to reduce Wharton's death sentence to life imprisonment. It was later revealed that they misrepresented the support of the victims' family, specifically failing to contact Lisa Hart-Newman, who opposed the efforts. U.S. District Judge Mitchell Goldberg rejected the request to vacate the death sentence, citing deficiencies in the prosecutors' review of the case.
Winkelman is appealing her suspension, claiming that the ruling contained significant errors. The disciplinary findings were made public shortly after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court criticized Krasner's office for misleading courts and violating its duty of candor in multiple cases.