Ex-Rep. Nangle pleads guilty to corruption charges
Lowell pol had been chairman of House Ethics Committee
LOWELL — Former state Rep. David Nangle pleaded guilty Wednesday to 23 fraud charges — a year after being arrested at his home by FBI and IRS agents.
After initially pleading not guilty to the charges, Nangle — who once served as the House Ethics Committee chairman — proceeded to run for re-election to the seat he held from 1999 to 2020. But he was swamped in the September Democratic primary by Vanna Howard, who now holds his old seat.
In a U.S. District Court virtual hearing Wednesday morning, Nangle changed his plea.
The charges include 10 counts of wire fraud, four counts of bank fraud, four counts of making false statements to a bank and five counts of filing false tax returns.
In each instance that Judge Rya W. Zobel asked Nangle whether he committed the crimes outlined by the U.S. Attorney’s office, Nangle answered affirmatively.
“Did you use campaign money for your own purposes that had nothing to do with the campaign?” Zobel asked in relation to the first 10 charges.
“Yes, I did, your honor,” Nangle said, also affirming he knew it was against the law.
Nangle, who appeared with his attorney, Carmine Lepore, in the Zoom hearing, could be seen gazing downward as Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao outlined Nangle’s actions that led to each of the charges.
A sentencing date of June 24 was set at the Wednesday hearing. Nangle was ordered to continue to comply with previously set conditions of release, as well as to not expend or acquire assets worth $5,000 or more without permission from the probation department due to restitution and forfeiture amounts to be determined at his sentencing.
The hearing started with a slight hiccup because Lepore had not filed a waiver of indictment for Nangle before the proceeding began. Lepore suggested taking a short break to file the paperwork, but Zobel said she could proceed with Nangle’s verbal consent, which he provided, as long as the written version was also filed later. Lepore said he would file the waiver shortly after the nearly hourlong hearing ended.
“Elected representatives are expected to work for the benefit of their constituents, not to line their own pockets,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said in a statement released after the hearing. “Mr. Nangle violated his obligations to the public by siphoning campaign dollars to cover the cost of his personal lifestyle, violating both federal law and the trust placed in him by voters. This office will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute public corruption in the Commonwealth’s government institutions.”