US mayor charged with taking bribes to help marijuana businesses

BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts mayor was arrested Friday on charges he conspired to extort hundreds of thousands of dollars from companies seeking to operate marijuana businesses, federal authorities said.

Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia brazenly accepted cash bribes in exchange for issuing official letters needed to obtain a license to set up a pot business, authorities alleged.

At least four business owners paid a total of $600,000 in bribes to the mayor, and he used the money to support a lavish lifestyle and cover mounting legal bills, they said.

“Without hesitation, Mayor Correia was extorting marijuana vendor after marijuana vendor,” U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Andrew Lelling told a news conference after the mayor’s arrest.

“It’s striking the lengths he went to get the money, and the seeming indifference with how overt his activities were.”

Correia’s lawyer didn’t respond to messages seeking comment Friday.

Once a rising political star in Massachusetts, Correia has remained in office despite efforts to force him out amid his legal troubles.

He was already facing charges on accusations that he stole investor funds to bankroll a lavish lifestyle.

He has pleaded not guilty.

The latest investigation, which also involved agents from the FBI and IRS, highlighted the potential for abuse in Massachusetts’ nascent retail marijuana industry, authorities said Friday.

Massachusetts voters approved recreational sale of marijuana in 2016; the first storefronts opened last November.

Friday’s indictment also details other accusations against Correia, who became the old mill city’s youngest mayor when he was first elected in 2015 at age 23.

Authorities say the now-27-year-old also accepted cash payments and a Rolex watch from a property owner to approve permits for his commercial building.

We want to hear from you! Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169, email us at editors@gleanerjm.com or onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com.