Feds: Cop had romantic relationship with informant

A PHILADELPHIA COP had a long-term romantic relationship with a confidential informant and then leaked classified information to the informant that her ex was under investigation by the feds, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

When interviewed by investigators, Officer Robertito Fontan lied about his relationship with the informant and denied providing her information, prosecutors said. On Wednesday, Fontan was charged with three counts of making false statements to federal investigators.

This was not the first time Fontan, 41, had been under investigation. In the late 1990s, he was investigated by Internal Affairs for his role in the false arrest of a man who spent two months behind bars for a crime he didn't commit. Fontan eventually was exonerated but did have to submit to retraining.

In the most recent case, federal authorities said Fontan met his confidential-informant girlfriend at the Criminal Justice Center when they were in the same courtroom for separate cases in 2003.

Fontan told the woman that he could help her with her drug case, prosecutors said. He introduced her to other cops and suggested they use her as a confidential informant, the indictment said.

Just a few months after meeting the woman, Fontan began a "years-long, intimate relationship" with her that included trips to Disney World, cash and other gifts, prosecutors said.

In 2007, Fontan's girlfriend's ex-boyfriend became the target of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Agency and local authorities, including Fontan, who worked on the case. Prosecutors allege that Fontan divulged the nature of the investigation to his girlfriend and that the woman passed that information to her ex.

When the FBI started to suspect a leak in the investigation, Fontan was interviewed by authorities but denied any involvement with the informant, according to his indictment.

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Blog: PhillyConfidential.com