Former Philly Lawyer Sentenced to Probation for Smuggling Contraband to Gang Leader “Kill Bill”
Paul DiMaio, a former Philadelphia criminal defense attorney, has been sentenced to probation after admitting to smuggling a cellphone and drugs into a federal jail for an accused gang leader. DiMaio, 56, was charged with providing contraband to an inmate at the Federal Detention Center (FDC) in Center City Philadelphia, an act he claimed was driven by fear for his own safety.
The Smuggling Scheme
Federal prosecutors detailed that on February 4, 2025, DiMaio entered the FDC at 7th and Arch Streets carrying two expandable “redweld” legal folders. Surveillance footage captured him entering a visitation room to meet with Jahlil Williams, a high-profile inmate known by the street name “Kill Bill.” The meeting lasted approximately 18 minutes.
Video evidence showed DiMaio leaving the room with only one folder. Prison staff subsequently searched Williams and discovered the second folder, which contained a Motorola cellphone, a charging cord, 240 loose cigarettes, and 83 strips of Suboxone, a prescription opioid often abused in correctional facilities.
Defense Arguments and “Duress”
During the proceedings, DiMaio’s legal team raised significant objections to a harsh custodial sentence, arguing that the attorney acted under extreme duress. DiMaio told the court he agreed to smuggle the prohibited items because he was terrified that Williams—an alleged gang figure with a reputation for violence—would harm him or his loved ones if he refused. This defense appears to have weighed heavily in the court’s decision to grant a sentence of probation rather than prison time, despite the serious nature of smuggling Schedule III controlled substances into a federal facility.
Background and Broader Context
Jahlil Williams is currently detained on charges related to violent gang activity, and the smuggling of communication devices to such inmates is a major security concern for federal authorities, as it allows them to continue directing operations from behind bars.
This is not DiMaio’s first brush with controversy. Before practicing law in Pennsylvania, he served as a police officer in Johnston, Rhode Island. He resigned from the force in 2008 following allegations of misconduct involving a minor, though no criminal charges were filed in that jurisdiction due to age of consent laws.
The investigation also implicated Tanya Culver, the mother of a different inmate, who was charged with aiding and abetting the scheme by helping to acquire the contraband and traveling with DiMaio to the prison.
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