There’s a particular membership in Massachusetts made up of disgraced public servants. It’s a membership nobody willingly tries to affix, but its numbers enhance with unseemly regularity. Its motto: “Indicted We Stand.”
The most recent to hurry this frat of the fallen: Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins, who was arrested Friday on federal costs that he extorted a Boston hashish firm for pre-IPO inventory.
Federal prosecutors say he used his place to bully firm executives into permitting him to take a position $50,000 within the firm forward of an preliminary public providing, after which his stake elevated in worth to almost $140,000. The alleged settlement was that he could be refunded his preliminary funding, in keeping with courtroom paperwork.
He’ll seem in federal courtroom in Boston at a later date.
There was a time when such costs in opposition to a regulation enforcement official could be stunning. However that is Massachusetts, and the roll name of lofty careers tarnished by scandal is an extended one.
There’s the State Legislature trifecta of Audio system of the Home with prison convictions: Charles Flaherty (1991-1996) on tax evasion; Thomas M. Finneran (1996-2004) for perjury; and Sal DiMasi (2004-2009) for extortion.
Former State Senator Dianne Wilkerson will endlessly be identified for the career-ending picture of herself stuffing $1,000 in money bribes into her bra. That snap was launched by the feds after they busted her on federal corruption costs.
Fellow former State Senator Dean Tran joined the membership earlier this yr when he was sentenced to federal jail for unemployment help and tax fraud.
Two months later, federal authorities arrested State Rep. Chris Flanagan on costs that he stole tens of hundreds of {dollars} from a commerce affiliation he labored for, coated up the thefts, after which used the cash to pay private payments and fund his marketing campaign for elected workplace.
And naturally, there’s Tania Fernandes Anderson. The previous Boston Metropolis Councilor apparently discovered nothing from the state ethics violation that saddled her with a $5,000 high quality in 2023. That was when she employed two quick members of the family to her Metropolis Council employees, giving them raises, and within the case of her sister, a bonus.
Fernandes Anderson then doubled down with a kickback scheme by which she doled out a $13,000 bonus to one in every of her Council staffers, a relative however not quick member of the family, on the situation that $7,000 be kicked again to her. The handoff passed off in a Metropolis Corridor toilet in June 2023.
She pleaded responsible to 2 of six public corruption costs from a federal indictment final December, when she was arrested
She gradual walked her resignation from the Metropolis Council, and faces sentencing subsequent month.
These sordid sagas are met with public disdain, even occasional outrage, however after some time, a sure numbness units in. “How may they do such a factor!” turns into “Who’s it this time?”
This will’t be our regular. As a result of it isn’t. A public workplace or place of public management shouldn’t ever function a base of prison operations.
Tompkins is the newest large identify within the highlight. Massachusetts stakeholders have to act to ensure he’s the final.
