Former Philly police panel inspector sues city, alleging he was forced from job for role in Daily News cop-corruption series that won Pulitzer

The former chief inspector for the city's Police Advisory Commission filed a federal lawsuit Thursday, claiming he was forced from his job last year in retaliation for helping the Daily News report alleged wrongdoing by police officers.

Wellington Stubbs says in the suit that he introduced a police informant to Daily News reporter Wendy Ruderman. The informant, Ventura Martinez, supplied information that became part of the newspaper's "Tainted Justice" series, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize this year.

Stubbs alleges that Everett Gillison, the deputy mayor for public safety, told him in February, "words to the effect that the mayor is very upset with you about this and it is going to cost the city a lot of money."

The lawsuit says Stubbs in November was "forced to resign from the Police Advisory Commission, under threat of not receiving his pension."

The City Controller's Office in October announced that Stubbs was violating the city's residency rule for employees. Stubbs, who claimed to live in Southwest Philadelphia, was spotted by Controller's Office investigators 14 times at a house in New Jersey owned by his wife. Stubbs drove a car with New Jersey tags and had a second job in that state for seven years, income he did not report to the city, according to the controller's report.

The Stubbs lawsuit said the city's inspector general investigated his residency in 2007 and found no wrongdoing.

Stubbs is suing Mayor Nutter, Gillison, the city, the head of the Police Advisory Commission and two investigators from the City Controller's Office.

A spokesman for Nutter said the city would not comment on active litigation. City Controller Alan Butkovitz was unavailable for comment yesterday.

Stubbs was hired by the Police Advisory Commission, which has civilian oversight of the Police Department, in 2002 and promoted to chief inspector in 2004.

He met Martinez in 2008 and subsequently introduced him to Ruderman. The lawsuit says Ventura reported "illegal activities being conducted" by the Philadelphia Police Narcotics Field Unit.

The "Tainted Justice" series focused on allegations that narcotics officers fabricated evidence in drug cases and robbed store owners who were investigated for selling drug paraphernalia.