Our Mission
The Office of the Public Defender is committed to providing and promoting quality legal representation for indigent adults and children facing the loss of their rights, liberty, and dignity.
We provide legal representation to those accused of crimes in Delaware County who cannot afford a private attorney. We represent thousands of clients each year charged with crimes with a wide variety of allegations, practicing in the District Justice Courts, the Court of Common Pleas, and the Appellate Courts of Pennsylvania. In addition, the Office of the Public Defender represents those charged with contempt in Family Court who face the threat of incarceration and youth facing accusations in the Juvenile Court of Delaware County.
The Delaware County Office of the Public Defender is committed to transforming the criminal justice system in ways that increase public safety and foster healthy communities — by supporting people on the margins, providing healing for those who experience harm, and expanding access to justice and services for everyone.
About Us
Your criminal defense team includes more than just lawyers—it also comprises social service professionals, non-attorney advocates, investigators, and administrative staff. Legal interns from renowned universities join our team on a cyclical basis to provide additional case preparation and legal support to our defense attorneys. In 2020, Delco Defenders expanded beyond conventional public defense by establishing social service units in both its juvenile and adult trial units and by creating an investigative unit. In 2022, Delaware County joined forces with Partners for Justice to further embed five non-attorney advocates who assist our clients with the many challenges that arise when they are accused and, often, incarcerated.
Building a strong team of zealous defense advocates cannot be done in a vacuum. Delco Defenders are active members of the Pennsylvania Public Defender Association and Delaware County Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. They also participate regularly in trainings and conferences hosted by these organizations, as well as the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and regional justice think tanks and universities.
We actively engage with Delaware County leadership and stakeholders to improve the delivery of justice, expand opportunities for diversion, and promote better social and individual outcomes for our clients and the broader community. We recognize that the root causes of contact with the criminal system arise from complex needs that cannot be met by a punitive system alone. That’s why we work to connect our clients with civil legal services and supportive resources such as those found on our Resources page.
Our Team
Public Defenders | |
|---|---|
Interim Chief Defender | Deputy Public Defender |
Management | |
|---|---|
Chief | Adult Trial Unit | Chief | Mental Health Unit |
Chief | Pre-Trial Unit | Chief | Re-Entry Unit |
Chief | Juvenile Unit | Chief | Appeals Unit |
Chief | Adult Social Services & Policy Unit | Chief | Juvenile Social Services and Policy Unit |
Chief | Major Felony Unit | Chief | Investigations |
Assistant Public Defenders | |
|---|---|
| Martha Abrams abramsm@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-5829 | Christina Ashworth ashworthc@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-5472 |
| Paige Benedetto benedettop@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-4630 | Caroline Brady bradyc@co.delaware.pa.us 484-848-0767 |
| Alicia Broderick brodericka@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-8036 | Eric Burdette burdettee@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-5832 |
| Anna Chaney chaneya@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-4132 | Taylr Coben cobent@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-8081 |
| Kenneth Collins collinsk@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-5471 | Benjamin Dewhurst dewhurstb@co.delaware.pa.us 484-848-0768 |
| Shelby Dolch dolchs@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-4252 | Charles Feeley feeleyc@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-5199 |
| Katia Florit floritk@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-5881 | Anna Hinchman hinchmana@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-4105 |
| Glen Hoffman hoffmang@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-4079 | David Iannucci iannuccid@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-5464 |
| Michaela Kelly kellyma@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-4762 | Alannah King kinga@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-4265 |
| Amy Lattari lattaria@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-4018 | Patrick McCafferty mccaffertyp@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-4096 |
| Benjamin McCready mccreadyb@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-4991 | Alyssa Mallgrave mallgravea@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-4059 |
| Luke Mercurio mercuriol@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-4927 | Melina Micich micichm@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-4114 |
| Christopher Panetta panettac@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-5409 | Steven Papi papis@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-5475 |
| Devon Potts pottsd@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-5467 | Jay Price priceja@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-5098 |
| Ian Pulz pulzi@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-4765 | Andrew Records recordsa@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-4005 |
| Pauline Rouse rousep@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-4251 | Allyson Ruch rucha@co.delaware.pa.us 484-848-0769 |
| Nicholena Rushton rushtonn@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-4333 | Brendan Schneiderman schneidermanb@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891- |
| Ashley Smith smithaw@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-6430 | Jeffrey Sobel sobelj@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-4017 |
Inderdisciplinary Staff | |
|---|---|
| Timothy Hardy Investigator hardyt@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-6124 | Victoria Marchei Social Service Advocate marcheiv@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-5479 |
| Natacha Carroll Juvenile Social Service Advocate carrolln@co.delaware.pa.us 610-773-0354 | Peter Brown Client Advocate brownpl@co.delaware.pa.us 484-724-6338 |
| Maren Frye Client Advocate fryem@co.delaware.pa.us 484-724-6246 | Ruth Mercedes Client Advocate mercedesr@co.delaware.pa.us 484-724-6297 |
| Destiny Rosulme Client Advocate rosulmed@co.delaware.pa.us 484-724-6125 | Melissa Simon Client Advocate simonm@co.delaware.pa.us 484-724-6293 |
Administrative Staff | |
|---|---|
| Sabrina Albright Executive Administrator albrights@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-4084 | Muhammad Farooq Application System Analyst farooqm@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-5477 |
| JoAnn Wright Receptionist WrightJM@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-4100 | Kathi Boese Case Aide boesek@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-8082 |
| Jalisa Brown Case Aide brownjc@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-4083 | Kiyah Hill Case Aide hillk@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891- |
| Missy Illingsworth Case Aide illingsworthm@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-4102 | Matthew Santarelli Case Aide santarellim@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891- |
| Matthew Taddeo Case Aide taddeom@co.delaware.pa.us 610-891-4093 | |
