A former Fall River cop has been convicted of roughing up a detainee with his baton and then pulling a Houdini on the paperwork by filing bogus reports, federal prosecutors said Thursday.
Nicholas M. Hoar, 37, found himself on the wrong side of the law after a Boston jury took four days to find him guilty of violating civil rights under the color of law and penning two false reports, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Hoar landed in hot water back in November 2022, when he was cuffed and charged with the assault that occurred on December 21, 2020.
"Police officers who abuse their power will continue to be held accountable by this office," Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy made clear. He praised the majority of law enforcement who "conduct their jobs with high integrity and put their lives at risk every day," highlighting that Hoar's corrupt actions snub the honor of his peers.
Jodi Cohen, top agent at the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Boston Division, did not mince words, saying, "What Fall River Police Officer Nicholas Hoar did – in using his position of authority to assault a man in his custody and then try to cover it up by filing false reports– is utterly contemptible." She reinforced that the FBI and its allies are dead set on nailing anyone who violates the trust of the public, particularly when it comes to those entrusted with the law.
April 24, 2024, has been marked on the calendar for Hoar's sentencing, where he faces a potential decade in prison for the assault, and each count of falsifying reports could tack on up to 20 years more. The stakes are high, with supervised release time and fines each creeping up to $250,000, as prescribed by a federal district court judge based on governing guidelines and statutes, as per the announcement from officials.
