A Massachusetts disciplinary board has thrown a harsh new spotlight on a notorious Brockton arson and murder case, voting to sideline two prosecutors over racist emails and mishandled evidence that helped send a young woman to prison for nearly two decades. The Board of Bar Overseers on Thursday recommended a one-year-and-one-day suspension for former Plymouth assistant district attorney John Bradley and a two-year suspension for Karen O’Sullivan, now the first assistant district attorney in Bristol County. The board found that their conduct in the decades-old prosecution of Frances Choy, including offensive internal messages and botched discovery, helped corrode the case, according to WBUR.
Choy spent 17 years behind bars before a judge vacated her conviction in 2020. The role of the prosecutors’ emails in unraveling the case is detailed in the National Registry of Exonerations, which chronicles how the revelations helped pave the way for her release.
What the board found
The BBO's hearing committee concluded that Bradley and O’Sullivan traded emails that demeaned Choy and leaned on anti-Asian stereotypes, while also failing to turn over potentially exculpatory material during the original prosecution. In the committee's view, those actions violated their professional duties and warranted time-limited suspensions.
Legal observers note that this is an unusually direct attempt to discipline prosecutors for racially charged misconduct. A review in the Boston College Law Review highlighted the committee's report as part of a broader debate over how often, and how seriously, the legal system holds prosecutors to account when bias taints a case.
Legal next steps
The BBO's vote is not the final word. Its recommendations now head to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, which has the last say on whether to impose, modify, or toss the proposed suspensions. According to the Supreme Judicial Court, the justices typically weigh the hearing record alongside any written arguments from the lawyers before issuing a decision.
Until the SJC acts, the recommended suspensions are essentially on hold, waiting in the court's queue.
Why it matters
In unusually blunt language, the board stressed that "a criminal prosecution is not a joke" and warned there may be "no worse miscarriage of justice" than a case infected by prosecutorial racism, according to WBUR. Those lines came as the board brushed aside the respondents' attempts to explain or contextualize their messages.
The panel itself was split on just how severe the punishment should be. Two members pushed for a three-year suspension for O’Sullivan, emphasizing her supervisory role in the Bristol County office. The majority settled on two years, and also noted that Bradley is currently listed as inactive on the state’s attorney rolls.
Wider fallout and next moves
Choy's legal team has continued to press civil claims and pursue compensation for her wrongful imprisonment. Local reporting has documented that municipal and agency liability remains very much in play, including a multimillion-dollar payout from the city, according to Boston.com.
Meanwhile, the BBO's disciplinary vote is feeding fresh calls for stronger oversight of prosecutors and tougher rules around evidence disclosure. Whether this case becomes a marquee example of real accountability now hinges on what the Supreme Judicial Court does next, and on how quickly the justices move through their docket and any additional briefs that land on their desks.
