Joyce lawyer faces accusations
‘False representations’ to state ethics board alleged
A lawyer for ex-state Sen. Brian Joyce is accused of making “false representations” to state ethics regulators on Joyce’s behalf, including as part of Joyce’s claim that 700 pounds of free coffee he received were a barter for legal services.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling’s office said it intends to argue that attorney Howard Cooper should be booted from Joyce’s defense team, and indicated that Cooper himself could serve as a witness in its prosecution of the former lawmaker.
Joyce faces a 113-count indictment, in which prosecutors say he concocted a yearslong scheme to trade his office’s power for cash and bribes. Joyce, who is free on $250,000 bond, pleaded not guilty last month.
In a discovery notice filed in U.S. District Court, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dustin Chao and William Bloomer wrote that Cooper’s testimony “is important to the government’s case.”
They say that Cooper, at Joyce’s direction, “made several material and false representations to the State Ethics Commission,” including claiming Joyce directed his retirement account to purchase nearly $500,000 in common stock from an energy-brokering company in 2014 and 2015 as part of a scheme to defraud the IRS.
Joyce’s 2017 indictment charges there was no third-party involvement because “Joyce personally orchestrated” the stock purchase.
Prosecutors say the false claims also include that the disgraced Milton legislator “accepted free coffee in exchange for legal services” in 2013. But, in charging Joyce, prosecutors say he actually got up to 700 pounds of free coffee and roughly $125,000 in alleged kickbacks from a Dunkin’ Donuts franchisee owner.
“No decaf,” Joyce wrote in a December 2014 email for one request, according to the indictment. “We like k cups (sic) at my office if possible.”
Lelling’s office had not filed the motion as of yesterday, after prosecutors had written last week they intend to do it “as soon as practicable.”
Christina Sterling, a spokeswoman in Lelling’s office, declined comment, citing the pending case.
Cooper didn’t respond to Herald requests for comment yesterday. Max Stern, who also represents Joyce, also declined to comment.
“I’m sure we’ll have a comment when they file something,” he said of prosecutors.
Besides coffee, Joyce, 55, stands accused of pocketing $1 million and a Jeep in exchange for trading his office’s power for cash and bribes.