Democratic campaign consultant Tracy Hardy pleaded guilty to federal charges on Thursday related to pandemic loan fraud and a scheme related to a union hall renovation. Read more Inquirer file photo

by Aliya Schneider Published Sept. 11, 2025, 5:42 p.m. ET

Tracy Hardy, a Philadelphia campaign consultant, pleaded guilty Thursday to three counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false claim to the U.S. government.

Hardy, 52, a longtime Philadelphia political operative who previously worked as an aide to former Mayor John F. Street and as chief of staff to State Sen. Sharif Street, fraudulently inflated his business’ finances to obtain pandemic relief funds of about $2 million and created a fake bidding process for a bar renovation scheme for a Philadelphia union hall.

He

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