Category: Massachusetts
Democrat fraudster begs to keep $800,000 state pension funded by taxpayers
A disgraced former lawmaker in Massachusetts is still hoping that taxpayers will help keep him comfortable in his retirement years, despite his criminal convictions.
In February 2021, Democratic ex-state Rep. David Nangle, who represented the Lowell area for two decades and even sat as vice chair of the House Ethics Committee for a time, pled guilty to nearly two dozen charges related to stealing money from his campaign for personal expenses, defrauding banks, and failing to report income to the IRS.
It was ‘only because he had been a member of the House of Representatives at the relevant time that he was in a position to illegally withdraw funds from his campaign account.’
According to the Boston Globe, Nangle stole $70,000 from his campaign and defrauded banks of over $300,000 in ill-begotten loans. Nangle has admitted that he has a gambling addiction, but prosecutors claimed that in addition to blowing money at the casino, he also spent money on luxury items and other personal expenses.
Nangle was sentenced to 15 months but served only about five months of that sentence behind bars.
The scandal also cost him his political career. Nangle was successfully primaried in September 2020 after 22 years in the seat.
After his conviction, the Massachusetts State Retirement Board decided to revoke the state pension he had accrued during his time in office, valued at over $800,000. A district court judge later upheld that decision.
Barry Chin/The Boston Globe/Getty Images
Nangle filed an appeal in Suffolk County Superior Court last week, requesting a review of “a judgment entered by the Lowell District Court, which affirmed the Defendant State Board of Retirement’s forfeiture of David M. Nangle’s vested state retirement allowance.”
Nangle has argued that his crimes were in “no way” related to his work in public office and that the stolen money did not involve “governmental funds or property,” the Globe said.
The retirement board and Lowell District Court Judge Pacinco DeCapua don’t seem to be buying it. According to the Globe, DeCapua even noted it was “only because he had been a member of the House of Representatives at the relevant time that he was in a position to illegally withdraw funds from his campaign account.”
Nangle, 65, has also claimed that he will be “destitute” without the pension, but the Globe, citing DeCapua’s ruling in January, reported that Nangle was working three jobs, collecting $6,000 a month for just one of them.
DeCapua, who acknowledged Nangle’s “road of redemption” regarding addiction, nonetheless determined that his actions “dishonored his title as a State Representative.”
Paul Craney of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance seems to agree. He told Blaze News in a statement: “A bank robber doesn’t get to keep his steal after he is convicted, and a state lawmaker shouldn’t be able to keep their pension after being convicted of fraud. If it were allowed, every bad impulse would be acted upon by our legislature.”
Nangle’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
‘Potentially Materially Inadequate Disclosure’ on Harvard’s $675 Million Bond Offering Prompts ‘Anti-Fraud’ Warning
The disclosure to potential investors in documents for Harvard’s planned new $675 million tax-exempt bond offering doesn’t give enough warning about the risks, a watchdog group says.
The post ‘Potentially Materially Inadequate Disclosure’ on Harvard’s $675 Million Bond Offering Prompts ‘Anti-Fraud’ Warning appeared first on .
Trump States Gaining Population As High-Tax States Lose People, New Census Data Show
Low-tax, Republican-leaning states are gaining people, while higher-tax, Democrat-leaning states are losing them, according to new domestic migration data released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The post Trump States Gaining Population As High-Tax States Lose People, New Census Data Show appeared first on .
Brown University Head of Public Safety on Leave After Janitor Reveals Security Ignored Warnings of Suspicious Actor on Campus
Brown University’s head of public safety, Rodney Chatman, was placed on administrative leave Monday after a janitor revealed that he saw a suspicious person lurking around campus in the weeks leading up to the December 13 shooting—a person who ended up being the gunman, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente.
The post Brown University Head of Public Safety on Leave After Janitor Reveals Security Ignored Warnings of Suspicious Actor on Campus appeared first on .
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt Flew Dem Senate Candidate Seth Moulton to Ritzy Montana Retreat As Congressman Oversaw Critical Business
Billionaire tech mogul and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt flew Massachusetts Senate hopeful Seth Moulton (D.) and his family to a ritzy Montana retreat to rub shoulders in a “strictly confidential” setting with other policymakers, celebrities, and foreign dignitaries. All the while, Moulton sat on a powerful House committee with oversight of many of Schmidt’s business interests.
The post Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt Flew Dem Senate Candidate Seth Moulton to Ritzy Montana Retreat As Congressman Oversaw Critical Business appeared first on .
Thanksgiving Is More Than Turkey
It’s that time. Which is to say it’s Turkey Time in America again. Once again, families are getting together for…
Suspect walks free amid serious charges due to jaw-dropping technicality — and is accused of murder just weeks later
A 29-year-old male accused in a fatal stabbing in Boston over the weekend was facing weapons and drug charges less than a month ago but walked free.
Court records indicate that Javonte Robinson’s previous weapons and drug charges were dismissed when an attorney could not be found after 45 days, WCVB-TV reported.
‘Under Governor Healey, the state failed to pay public defenders adequately, failed to ensure the courts had the staffing they needed, and failed to protect the public.’
Robinson’s case was dropped amid a work stoppage involving private attorneys who normally defend suspects who can’t afford lawyers, the station said, adding that the attorneys in question stopped accepting new cases in May in an attempt to force the state to pay them more.
WCVB said Robinson was among 145 individuals whose charges were dismissed in one day of court proceedings.
Robinson then allegedly stabbed a man Saturday night in the city’s Mattapan neighborhood, and the victim was taken to a hospital, where he died, Boston police said, according to the station. Robinson was arrested just after 3 p.m. Sunday, WCVB noted.
Robinson was arraigned Monday in Dorchester District Court and pleaded not guilty to the murder charge, Boston.com reported, citing court records. He was then taken to Suffolk County Jail, the outlet added.
More from Boston.com:
In late August, Robinson was arraigned on charges of possession of a dangerous weapon and possession of a Class A drug. He was released on personal recognizance, according to the records, but was transported to Attleboro District Court, where he was wanted on other outstanding warrants.
Last month, Robinson’s charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning that the case could be reopened in the future. This was the result of the “Lavallee protocol,” which was activated in Massachusetts earlier this year due to the work stoppage.
Boston.com noted that the “Lavallee protocol” mandates that defendants without attorneys are ordered released after being held for more than seven days — and those who go 45 days without a lawyer have their cases dismissed without prejudice.
This is what happened in Robinson’s dangerous weapon case, Boston.com said, citing court records.
Massachusetts Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Shortsleeve blasted Democrat Gov. Maura Healey for her handling of the lawyer shortage in the wake of the Robinson case, the Boston Herald reported.
Shortsleeve, according to the paper, said that “this should never happen in a functioning state government. Under Governor Healey, the state failed to pay public defenders adequately, failed to ensure the courts had the staffing they needed, and failed to protect the public. That is unacceptable, and it is dangerous.”
Fellow Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue also blamed Healey, the Herald said: “The fundamental role of the governor is to uphold the law and keep our communities safe. This is another example of our governor failing to solve problems and [running] an organization that has a horrible impact on the victim and their families.”
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
‘Dismay And Disgust’: Federal Judge Rage Quits, Blasting ‘Existential Threat’ Trump Over ‘Angry Attacks On The Courts’
‘As I watched in dismay and disgust from my position on the bench, I came to feel deeply uncomfortable operating under the necessary ethical rules that muzzle judges’ public statements and restrict their activities’
Man enters ER with bloody knife saying serial killer took girlfriend’s life. But her mother says she knows ‘savage’ truth.
A Massachusetts man in September walked into a New Bedford emergency room holding a bloody knife in his hand and claiming that a serial killer had stabbed his girlfriend to death, according to multiple reports. But the man now faces life in prison.
Tyler Baglini, 32, reportedly had a history of mental health issues and substance abuse, according to his attorney. After Baglini allegedly experienced an “episode” on Sept. 20, his girlfriend urged him to get help.
‘But I know the truth. I know how savage, how horrific, and how violent his actions were.’
Citing court documents, People magazine reported that Baglini’s girlfriend — 31-year-old Kerri Fidalgo — sent a text message to Baglini at 9:57 a.m. Sept. 20 that read: “Tyler, we can talk later. After you get checked out. You need help. You need to get better. You’re having an episode and you’re paranoid. Everything will be OK, but you need help. I love you. I care about you. Please.”
Police said Baglini wrote back: “Goodbye, I really loved you and I forgive you. Time to go to hell; you were the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Citing court documents, WPRI-TV reported that Baglini appeared at St. Luke’s Hospital at 12:39 p.m. and used a public phone there to call his parents multiple times — as well as Fidalgo twice. Baglini told family and his girlfriend that he was checking himself in for mental health issues — but he didn’t and left the hospital at 12:53 p.m., according to court documents.
Prosecutors said Baglini sent a photo of a knife to Fidalgo around 3:40 p.m.
Baglini later that afternoon reportedly staggered into the emergency room of St. Luke’s while holding a bloody knife and claiming that a serial killer had stabbed his girlfriend to death.
A prosecutor said Baglini’s “kitchen knife” had “blood on the blade,” according to WJAR-TV.
WPRI added that Baglini entered the hospital just before 5 p.m. and said the stabbing took place at her Atlantic Street apartment.
Fidalgo’s oldest sister, Kaila Whalen, reportedly became alarmed when police showed up that afternoon to do a welfare check on her sister.
“As my Portuguese-speaking grandmother fired questions at me in panic, I brushed her off and ran downstairs to Kerri’s apartment, desperate to understand what was happening,” Whalen told WPRI. “I had no idea what I was about to walk into. I didn’t know I would find my sister lying on her living room floor, motionless, surrounded by her own blood.”
Whalen added to WPRI that she remembered seeing her sister’s eyes open and her hands raised as if she was trying to protect herself, which Whalen told the station is an image that will haunt her for the rest of her life.
Whalen recounted to WPRI, “No one should ever have to find someone they love like that. I was frozen in horror, screaming. My mind was racing, but [my] feet wouldn’t move.”
Still, she was able to run back upstairs for the officers, who called for backup and began CPR, according to WPRI.
“I remember how frantic and forceful it seemed, like it was hurting her. It was too much to bear, so I dropped to my knees in her kitchen and begged God to spare her life. I have never felt so hopeless — so useless,” Whalen recalled to WPRI.
Assistant Bristol County District Attorney Karen O’Sullivan said Fidalgo had been stabbed 14 times in the neck, head, and torso, and her injuries were consistent with attempts to defend herself, according to the Herald News.
Fidalgo was rushed to St. Luke’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to the police report.
The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office said Baglini was arrested Sept. 20 and charged with murder.
Boston.com reported that Baglini was held overnight at Saint Luke’s Hospital for psychiatric evaluation.
Last week at the sentencing hearing, Fidalgo’s mother unleashed her fury on Baglini.
“I have watched him sit here in this courtroom, quiet and timid, as if he couldn’t possibly have done what he did,” Melissa Fidalgo, Kerri’s mother, told the judge before sentencing, according to the Boston Globe.
“But I know the truth. I know how savage, how horrific, and how violent his actions were,” she continued, according to the Globe. “I hate that he thought he had the right to take my daughter’s life. I hate that he took her from us, from the family that loved her so deeply, from the future she was building, and from the world that was brighter because she was in it.”
Baglini’s attorney, Michael Hussey, said during sentencing that his client has a history of substance abuse and mental health issues that were “probably of little concern to anyone in this room, and probably of little value to this court.”
Judge Raffi N. Yessayan responded, “Whatever other issues he may have, he’s a batterer. He’s a domestic abuser. I look at his record, and that’s clear. That’s why I didn’t let him hide in the corner.”
Baglini pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. The judge sentenced him to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 25 years, court records show.
Kerri’s youngest sister, Jazelle Fidalgo, described her sister as “a mother, role model, protector, and best friend.”
“Whenever I needed advice or comfort, she was the person I called,” Jazelle told WPRI. “She made me feel safe. She believed in me more than anyone ever could. She pushed me to chase my dreams and see my worth, and to never give up on myself. She was the person who stood by me through everything — my shoulder to cry on and my source of strength when I didn’t have any left.”
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
