Ex-Fall River mayor gets 6 years
Former Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia was sentenced to six years in prison on Tuesday after being convicted of extorting hundreds of thousands of dollars from marijuana businesses that wanted to operate in his city.
Correia showed no emotion as the judge handed down his punishment after tossing several convictions stemming from allegations that the now 29-year-old swindled investors who backed a smartphone app he created.
U.S. District Judge Douglas Woodlock assailed Correia’s actions as old-style corruption that eviscerates a community. Under Correia’s watch, ”City Hall was for sale,” said the judge, who also criticized his “absolute lack of remorse.”
“If we can’t trust each other, if we can’t trust our government, where are we?” the judge asked.
Correia, who has insisted that he’s innocent and that the “real truth” will eventually come out, did not make a statement during the hearing in Boston federal court because he’s still challenging his remaining convictions.
The defense had sought three years, telling the judge that while there’s no “sugarcoating” the case, Correia also did much good for Fall River.
“None of that excuses what happened here, but I think it’s required to have a fuller picture of the man and to understand how somebody might get derailed but still have hope to contribute in a future chapter of life,” Attorney William Fick said.
Correia is expected to report to prison at a later date that has yet to be decided.
Correia was convicted in May of a slew of charges including fraud and extortion after a trial that shone a light on his meteoric rise to become mayor as a recent college graduate. Correia portrayed himself to voters as a successful entrepreneur who could breathe new life into the struggling, old mill city.
Prosecutors told jurors that in reality Corriea funded his lavish lifestyle with money he stole from investors who pumped cash into his app called “SnoOwl,” which was designed to help businesses connect with consumers.
Prosecutors said Correia took nearly two-thirds of the almost $400,000 he got from investors and spent it on things like fancy hotels and a Mercedes and to pay down his student loans.
After becoming mayor in 2016, prosecutors say Correia started a pay-to-play scheme involving bribes from marijuana vendors in exchange for letters of approval from the city they needed in order to get a license.
Prosecutors have called the corruption scheme particularly galling because much of it occurred when the former mayor knew he was already under investigation for the allegations of investor fraud.