Democrat Mayor In Massachusetts Arrested On Extortion And Bribery Charges

Jasiel Correia is the Democrat mayor of Fall River. He has been embroiled in legal controversies for almost the entire time he has been in office. Now things are getting very serious. 

Correia has been arrested on extortion charges, and we’re talking big money.

USA Today reports:

Massachusetts mayor arrested for extorting marijuana vendors for 6-figure bribes

Jasiel Correia II, the already embattled mayor of Fall River, Massachusetts, was arrested Friday on new federal extortion charges for allegedly operating a scheme to help marijuana vendors get approval to operate in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes.

Prosecutors say Correia agreed to sign non-opposition letters in return for significant six-figure payments from four marijuana vendors looking to open businesses in the city of nearly 90,000 about an hour’s drive south of Boston. The letters are required to obtain a license to operate a marijuana business in Massachusetts, where cannabis is legal.

Correia, 27, appeared in Boston federal court Friday afternoon and pleaded not guilty.

“I’m not guilty of these charges,” he told reporters afterward, standing next to his attorney outside the courthouse. “I’ve done nothing but good for the great city of Fall River, me and my staff, and my team. I’m going to continue to do great things for our citizens.”

The Democrat mayor also is accused of extorting $3,900 in cash and a $7,500-to-$12,000 “Batman” Rolex watch from a property owner in exchange for activating the water supply to his building. In addition, federal prosecutors say Correia demanded his chief of staff give him half of her $78,700 salary in return for appointing her and allowing her to keep her city job.

This isn’t even the first time he has been arrested.

How long are the people of Fall River going to put up with this?

It sounds like he might suffer real consequences this time.

Cross posted from American Lookout.

#BREAKING: Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia has been arrested for the second time in less than a year. https://t.co/DXBOLlUzRs pic.twitter.com/ijI0suUyCx

— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) September 6, 2019

The federal indictment of Fall City, MA mayor Jasiel Correia reads like a Cohen brothers script. https://t.co/cMQXk08xzx pic.twitter.com/INfORsxeyd

— Christopher Ingraham (@_cingraham) September 6, 2019