A 79-year-old Philadelphia Democratic leader resigned Sunday following controversy over his appearance at a campaign event for District Attorney Larry Krasner while he is awaiting sentencing for the sexual assault of a minor.
The appearance caused a heated exchange between Krasner, also a Democrat, and his election challenger.
Stephen Jones, who led the city’s 52nd Ward in West Philadelphia, stepped down after his presence at Krasner’s campaign breakfast Saturday drew public condemnation and accusations from Judge Patrick Dugan, who is challenging Krasner in the May Democratic primary.
Jones was convicted February 10 of aggravated indecent assault of someone under 13, unlawful contact with a minor, and related offenses following a retrial.
His initial trial in May 2024 ended with a hung jury. Jones remains free on bail awaiting his May 22 sentencing, scheduled two days after the primary election.
“Larry Krasner stood smiling beside a convicted child predator,” Dugan’s campaign said in a statement. “Did he not recognize him? The DA in charge of every major case in this city failed to notice a politically connected sex offender standing next to him? Or did he know exactly who he was and chose to stand there anyway? Either answer should terrify you.”
Dugan’s team said a possible “quid pro quo to let Stephen Jones wait for his sentencing at home in exchange for political support,” and questioned why Jones was still free to roam the city after conviction.
Despite appearing with the pedophile, Krasner denied allegations of a “quid pro quo” during a Monday news conference, calling them “a sweepingly false, repeatedly misleading effort to corrupt an election” and “wild and largely fraudulent allegations.”
“If I really was somehow in the bag with this man that I’m vigorously prosecuting every step of the way, why on earth would I seek to revoke his bail and put him in a jail cell?” Krasner claimed. Krasner’s “soft on crime” approach has been criticized for years.
Krasner claimed he was unaware of Jones’ sexual assault conviction when he attended the event, citing Jones’ “common name” and saying he “made no connection between that and any of the 30,000 new cases we have every year.”
Krasner, the top prosecutor in Philadelphia, said he “didn’t know Jones well before Saturday” and was “searching the internet for a photo of him on the way to the event.” At the same time, Krasner’s office claimed they tried to revoke Jones’ bail but were stopped by a judge.
Jones’ ward had previously backed Krasner during his 2021 reelection campaign.
Bob Brady, chair of the city’s Democratic Party, said he was aware of Jones’ “legal trouble” but not the specific charges until the weekend.
“We never had a problem of this nature,” Brady said. “A sex offender? As soon as I found out about it I called and told him he had to resign. We can’t have that.”
City Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson, the Democratic majority leader and chair in the 52nd Ward, is expected to replace Jones in a party vote scheduled for Wednesday. The position was previously held by former Mayor Michael Nutter.
Philadelphia is run entirely by the Democratic Party.