A Democratic lawmaker from Massachusetts has been taken into custody by federal authorities on charges of embezzlement, which makes the second time in a single week that a leftist from the super liberal state has landed in the spotlight due to involvement in criminal activity.
State Rep. Chris Flanagan had the cuffs slapped on him on Friday morning on charges that he embezzled $36,oo0 from one of his former employers in order to cover some of the costs of his political campaign, some new drip — that means clothes in today’s lingo — and to pay down some outstanding credit card debt.
This information was revealed in a press release put out by U.S. Attorney Leah Foley. Not long after his arrest, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, along with other state officials, began to call for Flanagan to resign.
“The U.S. Attorney’s office stated that Flanagan, 37, stole $36,000 over a 14-month period while working as executive officer for the Home Builders and Remodelers Association in Cape Cod. When the missing money was discovered, Flanagan allegedly admitted to the theft and promised to pay it back,” Trending Politics News reported.
“He resigned from his role at the company, and an investigation by the local Democratic district attorney was eventually turned over to Foley, the Trump administration’s prosecutor for Massachusetts,” the article continued.
Details in the indictment allege Flanagan took $10,000 from the sum and added it to his 2023 campaign coffers when he was locked in a tight reelection race to keep a seat previously held by Republicans. During his previous campaign, he had been fined $15,000 for falsifying an outside group called “Conservatives for Chris Flanagan” and using the pseudonym of a supporter — “Jeanne Louise” — to raise cash for his campaign above the legal limit.
The corrupt lawmaker also dropped $537 for campaign t-shirts and then used additional funds to help pay off some of his credit card bills. Oh, and he decided to spruce up his home with a new electric dryer and an air conditioner.
He wasn’t done there either. Flanagan made a number of other purchases with the embezzled funds, including ties, dress shirts, and a bunch of toys for kids.
U.S. Attorney Foley’s office added that Flanagan also spent part of the stolen funds on “personal psychic services” in July 2022.
Really? He went to a psychic? This dude basically stole someone else’s money and went to psychics with it? We are living in a brand new era of stupid, folks.
The theft represents an “appalling breach of public trust,” she added in a separate statement.
“Mr. Flanagan defrauded the very organization he was supposed to serve,” Foley explained. “This alleged scheme was calculated on every level. No one is entitled to power by way of fraud, and the people of Massachusetts deserve better.”
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Flanagan falsified expense reports submitted to state campaign watchdogs, alleging that the $10,000 he received from a trade group was a legitimate reimbursement expense and that the group had a “practice of allowing Flanagan to withdraw large sums of money for the purpose of expense reimbursement.”
Flanagan deposited that specific amount into his account back on Feb. 23 and labeled it as a “candidate loan.” Authorities revealed that he couldn’t have made that transfer without taking money from his employer, as the bank account only had $42.28 in it from the previous month.
Flanagan, who earns over $97,000 annually as a state lawmaker, was making $81,600 on top of that while working for the remodelers association on Cape Cod. He began having money troubles as early as the fall of 2021, according to Foley’s office. Transactions from the time show thousands of dollars in outstanding credit card debt, missed mortgage payments, and hundreds of dollars in bank overdraft fees, according to authorities. By November of that year, he began stealing from his employer, it is alleged.
As stated earlier, Flanagan is actually the second Democratic lawmaker to be slapped with federal charges this week. Progressive City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson of Boston stepped down from her seat after pleading guilty to setting up a bribe to help pay off some of her personal debt.
It’s worth noting that she is the city’s first councilor to have previously be an illegal migrant.
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