Judge says he'll toss some of ex-mayor's fraud convictions

2 years ago 231

Former Fall River, Mass. Mayor Jasiel Correia, right, arrives with his woman and his woman Jenny Fernandes, center, and household members for a tribunal quality astatine the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse, Monday, Sept. 20, 2021, successful Boston. Correia, who was elected astatine the property of 23 with promises to rejuvenate the struggling mill city, was scheduled to beryllium sentenced for stealing from investors successful a smartphone app helium created and extorting hundreds of thousands of dollars successful bribes from marijuana businesses. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

BOSTON – A national justice connected Monday said helium planned to flip respective convictions against the Massachusetts politician elected astatine conscionable 23 years aged who was recovered blameworthy by jurors of bilking investors and extorting hundreds of thousands of dollars from marijuana businesses.

U.S. District Judge Douglas Woodlock said helium intended to overturn 8 counts of the jury’s blameworthy verdict against ex-Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia that the justice said prosecutors failed to beryllium during trial.

Corriea, who maintains helium is innocent, would stay convicted of aggregate counts of ligament fraud, extortion conspiracy and extortion. He's expected to beryllium sentenced connected Tuesday, and prosecutors had been seeking 11 years down bars, pointing to what they described arsenic Correia's continued defiance.

“The betrayal of radical who considered him similar family, the pervasive lying, cheating, stealing, and blame-shifting, and the egregious breaches of the nationalist spot indispensable beryllium met with a condemnation that thoroughly repudiates the defendant’s abhorrent behaviour and deters some this suspect and others similar him from doing it again,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Zach Hafer wrote successful tribunal documents.

Correia, present 29, had primitively been scheduled to person his punishment connected Monday, but the justice said helium was unpersuaded that determination was capable grounds to backmost up respective fraud counts. Those stemmed from allegations that Correia misused wealth helium got from investors who backed his smartphone app called “SnoOwl” connected lavish purchases for himself and his then-girlfriend.

The justice said helium believed prosecutors failed to beryllium six ligament fraud counts by showing that wires — oregon physics communications — were utilized to process the checks Correia got from the investors. The justice besides said that prosecutors failed to beryllium 2 counts of filing mendacious taxation returns.

Before the justice made his comments connected Monday, Correia’s lawyers had asked for 3 years down bars. They said successful tribunal papers that the erstwhile politician “cannot beryllium defined solely arsenic a ‘crooked politician’ oregon ‘thief,’” and told the justice that Correia has “great imaginable to larn from this section of his life.”

“This lawsuit evokes the fable of Icarus. Mr. Correia flew early, high, and fast. The verdict points to a hubristic nonaccomplishment of motivation compass and, now, a clang into the sea. But Mr. Correia’s communicative request not extremity there,” Correia's defence attorneys wrote.

The charges against Correia successful 2018 marked a stunning illness for the person who was elected connected a committedness to rejuvenate the struggling mill metropolis and was erstwhile seen arsenic a rising Democratic star.

Prosecutors alleged that Correia looted a slope relationship of funds investors gave him for his smartphone app to bargain things for himself and ablution his woman successful costly gifts. Prosecutors said helium spent capitalist funds connected dinners astatine high-end restaurants, luxury hotels, casino trips and specified lavish items arsenic a Mercedes, a chopper circuit of Newport, Rhode Island, and a $700 brace of Christian Louboutin shoes.

Throughout his trial, prosecutors depicted him arsenic a greedy liar who misled those who pumped wealth into his app the aforesaid mode they accidental helium deceived voters to get elected by portraying himself arsenic a palmy entrepreneur. Investors told jurors that they had been impressed with Correia and trusted him to usage their currency to physique up the concern and marque them much money.

After becoming politician successful 2016, prosecutors accidental Correia began soliciting bribes from marijuana vendors successful speech for letters of support from the metropolis they needed successful bid to get a license. During the trial, prosecutors had 1 vendor usage fake wealth to amusement jurors however helium said helium stuffed $75,000 successful currency successful a metallic container clipboard earlier handing it to Correia successful the mayor’s city-issued vehicle.

Correia was recovered blameworthy successful May of extortion, extortion conspiracy, ligament fraud and filing mendacious taxation returns aft 23 hours of assemblage deliberations implicit 4 days. The assemblage acquitted him connected 3 counts, including accusations that helium forced his main of unit to springiness him fractional of her wage successful bid to support her metropolis job.

Correia — who did not instrumentality the basal successful his defence — told reporters aft his condemnation that “the existent truth” would travel retired and predicted helium would beryllium vindicated.

He hired caller attorneys, who filed papers successful July urging the justice to propulsion retired the jury’s verdict. They slammed prosecutors for what the defence described arsenic an “unfair smear run successful the courtroom” and called the grounds against Correia “remarkably shallow.”

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