MEDFORD, Mass. (WWLP) – A former attorney was sentenced for trying to bribe a Medford chief of police to get a company’s marijuana business license approved.
Former attorney convicted of bribery in Boston
Sean O’Donovan of Somerville was arrested in 2022 over what prosecutors called a “pay-to-play scheme”. They say O’donovan tried to pay $25,000 to the chief of police who considered applications for cannabis business licenses.
Now he’ll have to pay a total of $150,000 for his crime plus serving 2 years in prison.
“Driven by greed, Mr. O’Donovan tried his hand at an old school bribery scheme in which he tried to bribe a police chief for the sake of lining his own pockets. Fortunately, his attempt was promptly thwarted by the integrity of the Police Chief he targeted, as he immediately reported him to federal authorities,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “Our office remains committed to rooting out corruption in public offices. Today’s sentence should serve as a warning to anyone who thinks they can corrupt government officials for personal gain: your conduct will be uncovered, and will land you in federal prison – regardless of who you are.”
“Attorney Sean O’Donovan thought he was beyond the reach of the law when he orchestrated a back-door deal, funded by bribes, to line his own pockets. In doing so, he betrayed his client, and all hard-working businesses trying to play by the rules,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Such blatant corruption is toxic to the public trust, and today’s sentence makes it clear that crime truly does not pay. The FBI is committed to stamping out corruption, and we are very grateful to the Medford Police Chief and his brother who worked with us to thwart his shameful scheme.”
H/T: www.wwlp.com
