March 21, 2018
A Massachusetts federal judge on Wednesday canceled the scheduled start of the trial of a pair of Boston City Hall aides accused of pressuring a music festival to hire unneeded union labor as prosecutors indicated they are open to dismissing the case, as long as a judge agrees to preserve their rights to appeal his definition of extortion.
March 01, 2018
A Massachusetts federal judge on Wednesday denied a bid to toss extortion charges against top Boston City Hall officials but also made clear the government will need to prove they personally benefited when they allegedly pressured organizers of a musical festival to hire unnecessary union labor.
January 10, 2018
The U.S. government asked a Massachusetts federal court Tuesday to deny an attempt by two Boston officials to toss an extortion suit alleging they forced a music festival organizer to hire local union members, saying there is no new legal basis for dismissal despite a recent appellate ruling.
January 01, 2018
The year ahead promises to bring several high-profile cases to Massachusetts as the office of newly appointed U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling gets ready to try consequential matters involving public corruption and the opioid crisis, while the U.S. Supreme Court considers petitions over a Native American tribe's bid to bring casino gambling to Martha's Vineyard.
December 11, 2017
Two city of Boston officials will stand trial on extortion charges in the spring instead of directly after the holidays, because prosecutors altered their case and a recent appellate ruling raised additional discovery questions, a Massachusetts federal judge said Monday.
December 04, 2017
Two Boston city officials on Monday denied prosecutors' recently amended charges that they strong-armed a concert series into hiring union workers, as their lawyers push to delay an upcoming trial in the case.
October 30, 2017
A Boston city official accused of extorting an organizer of a local concert series by pressuring the company to hire union workers urged a Massachusetts federal court Friday to separate his trial from that of another city official to avoid being linked to the latter's alleged pulling of a "Top Chef" filming permit in 2014.
May 02, 2017
A Massachusetts federal judge ruled Tuesday that two Boston city officials couldn't escape charges of extorting a concert series to benefit a labor union.
April 13, 2017
Two Boston city officials accused of strong-arming a concert series into hiring unwanted union workers asked a federal judge in Massachusetts on Thursday to dismiss the indictment against them, saying they can't be charged when they didn't receive the jobs at issue.
May 19, 2016
The director of Boston's Office of Tourism, Sports and Entertainment has been indicted in Massachusetts federal court for allegedly forcing a music festival organizer to hire local union members by using the necessary festival permits as leverage.