[Analysis]
By Josh Resnek
Last week’s revelation that the mayor has cooperated with the FBI and the Justice Department as part of an ongoing investigation into public corruption has set off a great deal of speculation about what he might have said and to whom, and who he might have given up in order to give himself protection, however slim, from possible prosecution.
The mayor entered into a proffer agreement with the Department of Justice as we reported last week in the Leader Herald.
This helps to explain why the mayor has been paying such hefty monthly fees for criminal lawyers to represent him.
The Leader Herald reported the payment of the lawyer’s fees in our May 18, 2018 edition.
An investigation of the mayor’s campaign fund disbursements by the Leader Herald revealed payments in or around $10,000 a month being paid to the law firm of Greenberg Traurig.
Last week’s Leader Herald caused a A great deal of speculation to be aroused with the news that the mayor has cooperated with the FBI and the Justice Department.
Many people responding to the news report in the Leader Herald questioned whether or not the mayor actually did what we reported.
In order to assure our readers about the accuracy of the reporting, we are including a copy of the document signed by the mayor, his attorney Jeffrey Karp, now a Superior Court Judge, and two assistant US Attorneys, Kristina Barclay and Seth Kosto, and by the US Attorney at the time, Carmen Ortiz.
Any doubts the mayor wishes to convey about the accuracy of our reporting should be referred to the US Attorney’s office.
The proffer document he signed remains in force for as long as the government likes.
“Which is a long time, at least 25 years,” said noted Charlestown criminal attorney James Coviello.
This revelation about the mayor appears to have unsettled him.
He has, at times, appeared rattled and deeply bothered, as he was in his appearance before a city council committee meeting Monday night.
His personal attack on the Leader Herald at the start of his speech to the council was out of place for someone in control of their emotions.
The mayor appeared vexed at times, disinterested at others, angry for the most part at that meeting. It cannot be easy for the mayor to hold his head high in the circles he keeps at city hall and outside of the city when those who know him have discovered he speaks with the FBI under agreement.
Saving one’s own skin requires a great deal of personal strength. When you are the possible subject of a federal investigation and you sign a proffer, you’ve destroyed any trust others have in you.
This revelation doesn’t make the mayor evil. He’s not evil.
He’s just greedy and self-centered, and he’s been shown to have a tendency to tell stories about others to the FBI and the Justice Department.
He’s a bully who cannot be trusted to do the right thing when the chips are down.
This is why the revelation in last week’s Leader Herald is so important.
The has been revealed to be exactly who he is – and that’s not a pretty new reality for many of his friends and colleagues.
Many said this new information about the mayor was not unexpected.
We can all tip our caps to that.