Sheriff Rochelle Bilal Sets the Record Straight on Court Proceedings, Financial Oversight, and Reform Efforts
November 5, 2026
The Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office is releasing the draft proposed order it was prepared to accept to give the public a clear understanding of our efforts to resolve this matter.
During settlement discussions, our legal counsel proposed revisions to the order, consistent with the standard process of negotiating an agreement. Those revisions addressed, among other concerns, the fact that the Office cannot agree to spend money that City Council has not allocated.
JSB (the plaintiff) summarily rejected our proposed changes. In our view, that refusal prevented good-faith negotiations. By the second hearing, the opportunity to reach a negotiated settlement had been lost, and we proceeded with the hearing. The proposed consent order would have imposed substantial obligations.
Nevertheless, the Office sought to negotiate a voluntary resolution in good faith, which would have included the bulk of the court’s proposed obligations. As you can read in the proposed published order, the Sheriff’s Office has never sought to evade scrutiny and is interested in cooperating with the rest of the government to provide transparency.
We have previously stated that an independent auditor already exists within the Philadelphia City Controller’s Office. We welcome the opportunity to work with the Controller’s Office and provide cooperation and assistance with an audit.
Separately, as explained in our statement to City Council, an internal review initiated under new Real Estate Department leadership identified approximately $20 million in sheriff’s sale proceeds that had been processed and queued for disbursement but had not completed the final payment steps.
Upon identifying the issue, the Office initiated corrective action, processed outstanding payments, and began reconciling affected accounts. The Office has since implemented updated tracking procedures and system alerts to flag transactions requiring additional action and strengthen oversight. No funds were missing.
The Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office remains committed to timely delivery of deeds and sale proceeds to those entitled to receive them. We will continue addressing operational deficiencies and cooperating with appropriate reviews while protecting public resources.
Download the proposed order here.