A former Massachusetts attorney has been slapped with a two-year prison sentence for attempting to grease the wheels of justice with cash bribes to a local police chief. Sean O'Donovan, a 56-year-old from Somerville, Mass., was hoping to secure a lucrative marijuana sales spot for his client through some backdoor dealing – but will now spend his days behind bars, as ordered by Senior U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young.
According to a report from the Department of Justice, O'Donovan was convicted last October on counts of honest services wire fraud and bribery. He pocketed a $150,000 fine and a $300 special assessment to go along with his sentence. His failed attempt at influencing the police to put a thumb on the scales in favor of his client's bid to sell recreational pot in Medford was sniffed out by the very chief he tried to bribe. The lawman wasted no time blowing the whistle to federal authorities.
The Department of Justice laid out the details of the corrupt scheme, showing O'Donovan's attempt to manipulate Medford's selection process for retail marijuana businesses. The plot involved offering up to $50,000 in tax-free cash to a relative of the Medford Police Chief, in hopes of getting his client's application the chief's blessing – and perhaps a nudge to the Mayor. O'Donovan's client, kept in the dark about the bribery, was none the wiser as his application's fate was being illicitly brokered.
"Driven by greed, Mr. O'Donovan tried his hand at an old school bribery scheme...Fortunate his attempt was promptly thwarted by the integrity of the Police Chief he targeted," Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy declared, as reported by the Department of Justice. The stern sentence is being held up as a deterrent for anyone considering similar tactics, casting O'Donovan's downfall as an example of justice's long arm.
The FBI's critical role in cleaning up this mess was also highlighted, with Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Division, Jodi Cohen, noting O'Donovan's disregard for legal business practices. "Such blatant corruption is toxic to the public trust, and today's sentence makes it clear that crime truly does not pay," Cohen emphasized. Both the Chief and his relative received praise for their instrumental cooperation with the investigation that put O'Donovan away.
