Judge, Public Safety Director & Langhorne Deputy Constable Charged By Feds

Three men charged with keeping law and order have been indicted by federal officials.

District Judge John I. Waltman, 59, of Lower Southampton’s Trevose section; Lower Southampton Public Safety Director Robert P. Hoopes, 69, of Doylestown; and Deputy Constable Bernard T. Rafferty, 62, of Langhorne, were charged via indictment Friday morning with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and three counts of money laundering.

Waltman, who sources confirmed to LevittownNow.com has been under FBI investigation since at least summer, is accused of working with Hoopes and Rafferty to launder money that was “represented to be proceeds from health care fraud, illegal drug trafficking and bank fraud,” federal prosecutors said.

The district judge, public safety director and deputy constable are accused of laundered $400,000 in cash between June and August, which federal law enforcement officials said came from health care fraud and illegal drug trafficking. The three also allegedly took money laundering fees totaling $80,000 in cash.

Sources with knowledge of the investigation said Waltman, Hoopes and Rafferty were involved in a cash transaction with undercover FBI agents as the investigation progressed.

While federal authorities note Rafferty controlled Raff’s Consulting LLC, it is unclear if the “consulting” business was involved with the accusations. The business was formed in 2011 and lists an address in Lower Southampton, according to Pennsylvania Department of State records.

Waltman has been a district judge in Lower Southampton since 2011 and took over after the last district judge reportedly altered the court record of a family member and acted inappropriate to a police officer who was attempting to obtain a warrant. Several area politicos have said in the past Waltman is heavily involved in area Republican politics.

Hoopes was hired to lead the Lower Southampton Police Department as its civilian public safety director in early 2016. He previously served as a police officer in the township and later an attorney. The Midweek Wire reported in 2016 that the township Board of Supervisors considered Hoopes to be the “perfect candidate” to lead the police department.

Rafferty has worked as a deputy constable in the county since 1998.

In late summer, a local official who was aware of the federal probe said investigators were looking at the multiple local officials. It is unclear if there are more arrests planned.

Sources said Waltman was in FBI custody as of Friday morning but whether Hoopes and Rafferty were being held was immediately unclear.

The U.S. Attorney’s office said the three men could each face a maximum possible sentence of 80 years in prison,three years of supervised release, a $1 million fine and a $400 special assessment.

Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.