Anyone who reads a newspaper, surfs the internet of listens to radio, knows about the overflow of legitimacy, ethics and personnel problems inside the Massachusetts State Police. Now, before loyalists and aficionados of the state police get all worked up that I’m “attacking” or “dumping on” the state police, I’m…
Now that the jury in the Massachusetts Probation Department corruption trial has returned its verdict, some comment is needed concerning Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo. Beforehand, some brief background on this case: The Boston U.S. Attorney’s Office brought this case alleging that John O’Brien, former Massachusetts Probation Commissioner, constructed a…
As I write this post tonight, I’m thinking about shame and loss. I’m writing about former Massachusetts House Speaker Sal DiMasi’s sentencing today in federal court in Boston. About four days ago earlier this week, I communicated with several Boston media reporters, opining my professional opinion, as a Boston Massachusetts…
Here in Boston legal circles and in the Boston media, the past six weeks have been quite abuzz over the public corruption trial of former Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore F. “Sal” DiMasi and his two co-defendants, Richard Vitale and Richard McDonough. DiMasi, Vitale, McDonough, and former Cognos salesman Joseph Lally…
From a total of over 80 potential jurors, sixteen have advanced to the final round of jury selection, as of Friday, April 29 2011, in the corruption trial of former Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi. The sixteen, however, isn’t enough. U.S. District Court Judge Mark Wolf must select an…
I’ve been a trial lawyer for quite some time now. I’ve seen my share of clients who are outright innocent; guilty of a crime but legally “not guilty” due to a legal issue or procedural defect; and then those that are outright guilty. You can’t try cases from both the…
Friday the 13th proved to be definitely not a good day for former Massachusetts House Speaker Tom Finneran. The Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers (BBO) formally issued its long-awaited decision today, regarding the former Speaker’s future ability to practice law in Massachusetts. The 12-member board, eight of whom are lawyers,…
In my previous post, I commented on former Massachusetts House Speaker Thomas M. Finneran’s lobbying efforts to secure a last-minute presidential pardon for his guilty plea two years ago to federal obstruction of justice charges. On his way out of the White House door yesterday, former President George W. Bush…
Like so many of his predecessors in the office of the Massachusetts House Speaker, former Representative Tom Finneran left the office in disgrace, convicted of obstruction of justice in 2007. The purpose of this post is not to report this news, as it’s now a few days old, but to…
A cornerstone of American criminal law is that an accused is innocent until proven guilty. That’s a critical protection within our criminal justice system, and it distinguishes us from the systems that some other countries use. Notwithstanding this precept, it seems that some people, no matter how many times they…