Video: Milton Street Defends Honor In Interview

On Nov. 29, NBC10's Tim Lake spoke in detail with Milton Street about the federal tax and fraud charges filed by U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan. Street is the brother of Philadelphia mayor John Street, who was not named or implicated in the indictment.

Milton Street will appear in federal court Thursday with an attorney to answer the charges.

Here is a transcript of the interview, which you can also watch in its entirely here:

Lake: First of all, what is the plan for tomorrow? We understand you have to turn yourself in. What is the procedure?

Milton Street: I go down to the federal courthouse.

Lake: Do you have an attorney?

Milton Street: Yes

Lake: Are you prepared for everything that might entail?

Milton Street: That's all preliminary.

Lake: These are some very serious charges in connection with the Philadelphia airport. Sometime around 2000, you were holding yourself out as a consultant, in connection with some contracts at the airport. You get some lucrative subcontracts. What the contracts entail are certain jobs at the airport that the prosecutors are suggesting that you had no experience in doing. How did you get these contracts?

Milton Street: I can't get into the details of these things. But let me tell you this. They just didn't give me the contract. There are prerequisites to getting a contract. You have to get insurance. You have to get workers compensation. You have to be able to do, to meet all the requirements to qualify to get the contact.

Lake: You had no experience in doing these kinds of jobs, yet you got these contracts.

Milton Street: I don't have any experience in these kinds of interviews, yet I'm sitting here interviewing with you.

Lake: Eventually the contract is revoked. And you try to turn it over to other employees in return for money, is what the charges say.

Milton Street: We're not going to discuss that. It's part of the case. If you come to court, all that will be unraveled in court.

Lake: Let's talk about something that is a Yes or No answer. There was a videotape of you saying something yesterday about bookkeeping.

Quote from Street on tape: "I'm the worst record keeper in the history of man."

Lake: A lot of people keep bad records. But they are charging that in 2002, 2003 and 2004, when you had these contracts, and were taking in hundreds of thousands of dollars, that you didn't file income tax returns. Even when you are a bad record keeper, people know when they don't file tax returns.

Milton Street: If you can unravel the records, you also know what years I had the contracts, and I didn't have contracts all those years. ... There is no Yes or No question in law. I have enough experience to know that. The federal government would have a way of making "rights" wrong. Because you have two federal bankers, from Commerce Bank, who did absolutely nothing wrong, but they were convicted.

Lake: OK

Milton Street: You want me to give you Yes or No answers.

Lake: Did you ever think you would get these contracts unless you were the mayor's brother?

Milton Street: Oh, yea. Absolutely. All you got to do is meet the prerequisite.

Lake: Do you think being the mayor's brother had anything to do with it?

Milton Street: No

Lake: Did the mayor ...

Milton Street: I'll tell you what had something to do with it. For years, I fought in this city. For years I was out in the community. For years, I built my reputation as a fighter. I built my reputation as a person who would get things done. I built my reputation as a guy who wouldn't back down, on something right. So this "Street Name" I built. I heard Mr. Meehan sitting up there talking about that I exploited the Street Name. I am the Street Name.

Lake: He said you got the contracts on nothing more than the Street Name?

Milton Street: That's his opinion. My case will be argued in court.

Lake: We have covered extensively your history throughout Philadelphia and all the things you have done. Did at any time did your brother offer you advice or did you consult him on the contracts?

Milton Street: No.

Lake: Not al all.

Milton Street: Never.

Lake: Not once.

Milton Street: Not once.

Lake: And yet you are still very close to your brother.

Milton Street: Not once.

Lake: What's the plan tomorrow? It's your understanding that you have turn yourself in.

Milton Street: Tim, you know what the plan is. Why are you asking me this? I'm going down to 6th Street like everyone else, Mariano and everybody else. We'll see what charges are aired. I'm going to do the same thing.

Lake: If your attorney has suggested you not speak out on it, has he recommended you not?

Milton Street: No body tells me what to do.

Lake: I understand that.

Milton Street: Why would you ask me that question?

Lake: Will you be there with your attorney tomorrow?

Milton Street: Of course I'll be there.

Lake: Did you talk to your brother at length after the indictment was made? I understand that he may have called you.

Milton Street: He called me and said, "what's going on?"

Lake: He asked you what was going on? What did you tell him.

Milton Street: "I don't know." What you guys don't understand is, or don't want to understand, is I was blindsided on this. Nobody called me from the special prosecutors office, and said we are bringing an indictment against Milton Street. A guy went up to me and said, You've been indicted."

Lake: Have you had a chance to read through the entire indictment?

Milton Street: No. I have no interest.

Lake: You haven't read this?

Milton Street: No.

Lake: Have you even looked at any of the pages?

Milton Street: No interest. I have never looked at it. This is the first time I have seen it.

Lake: I'll leave you this copy.

Milton Street: I don't need it. My attorney has it. I am not going to fight or argue my own case. Sometimes, I don't have good discipline. If I read that, I might want to be my own attorney.

Lake: They are saying in the end of this they want to confiscate any assets you have. And they are suggesting over the years, hundreds of thousands of dollars. Is there any such amount?

Milton Street: We are all looking for those assets, with Mr. Meehan. I've never seen them.

Lake: Your home?

Milton Street: These guys make a lot of accusations. You guys latch on to them, like they're fact.

Lake: We are trying to get to the bottom of this.

Milton Street: We'll get to the bottom of it in a court of law. I feel confident I will prevail.