A federal grand jury has indicted Thomas Brady, 53, of Norwood, the former Deputy Superintendent of the Norfolk County Sheriff's Office (NCSO), on charges of extortion and use of interstate facilities to commit bribery and extortion. The charges stem from allegations that Brady compelled subordinate employees to perform unpaid labor at his private residence.
Brady, who served as Assistant Deputy Superintendent for Jail Operations from 2021 through May 2023 before being promoted to Deputy Superintendent, is accused of leveraging his authority over two NCSO maintenance officers between December 2021 and mid-November 2022. He allegedly ordered them to conduct home repairs, including installing a showerhead, fixing a water heater, and repairing a heating system, sometimes during official work hours and other times outside of work, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts. The maintenance officers reportedly complied due to fears that refusing Brady's demands would negatively impact their job positions, shifts, or employment at NCSO.
Prior to these federal charges, Brady was already under investigation by the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission regarding similar allegations of misusing his position to obtain free plumbing work. The Ethics Commission's Enforcement Division alleged that Brady violated conflict of interest law by having subordinate staff perform work at his home without payment, occasionally during state work hours, and on one occasion offered bottles of wine as compensation, as reported by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Brady was terminated from his position at the Norfolk County Sheriff's Office for "failure to meet expectations and standards" in May 2025, according to NBC Boston.
Similar Cases in Massachusetts
The federal charges against Brady align with a recent trend of public corruption prosecutions in Massachusetts. Just this month, a former Massachusetts State Police Sergeant, Gary Cederquist, was convicted of bribery and extortion conspiracy for orchestrating schemes to give false passing scores on commercial driver's license (CDL) tests. Cederquist allegedly accepted bribes, including a new driveway and a snowblower, in exchange for ensuring applicants received passing scores, according to the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General.
Furthermore, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts has recently announced other public corruption cases, including charges against a former Seekonk Postmaster for theft of government money and a former IRS employee who pleaded guilty to tax and social security fraud, as noted in a May 2025 press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. These cases underscore an ongoing commitment by federal authorities to addressing abuses of public trust within the Commonwealth.
Legal Implications
Thomas Brady faces significant legal penalties if convicted. The charge of extortion carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, while the charge of use of interstate facilities to commit bribery and extortion provides for up to five years. Both charges also include three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office. It is important to remember that Brady is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
