Former Chicopee schools chief Lynn Clark is now facing the music after admitting to orchestrating a sinister campaign of threats toward a prospective Police Chief candidate. The 53-year-old from Belchertown owned up to two counts of fabricating tall tales to federal agents, an offense that could lock her away for a maximum of five years on the taxpayer's dime, tack on a year of supervised release, and slap her with a $10,000 fine, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office statement.
Clark's tangled web began to unravel when it came to light that she peppered the unnamed candidate with 99 menacing texts from bogus numbers hoping to torpedo their chances. The victim, rattled by threats to their reputation, caved and withdrew from the race, the act sending the hiring process into a tailspin. A tech trail later pointed straight to Clark, who had snagged those disposable digits via a mobile application, the U.S. Attorney's Office reported.
As the plot thickened in December 2021, Clark tried on the victim's hat, falsely telling agents that she, too, had been on the receiving end of intimidating messages. She laid the blame at the feet of other city employees, further muddying the waters. But by February 2022, Clark's story was losing steam, she denied knowing who was behind the threats and that she had any knowledge about the app used to send them. Yet, in an about-turn, Clark eventually conceded she was both the mastermind and the messenger.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy, alongside Jodi Cohen of the FBI's Boston Office, disclosed Clark's guilty plea. With sentencing set to unfold on April 30, 2024, Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil L. Desroches is manning the prosecutorial lines.
