And gets it:
"Ex-Chelsea housing chief will plead guilty, assist probe" by Andrea Estes and Sean P. Murphy | Globe Staff, February 16, 2013
Former Chelsea Housing Authority chief Michael E. McLaughlin has agreed to cooperate with federal investigators, according to documents filed in federal court Friday, potentially allowing him to avoid jail time for four alleged felonies if the information he provides implicates others.
You have to be f***ing kidding. McLaughlin is going to avoid jail time?
In a plea agreement made public Friday, McLaughlin agreed to help authorities investigate and prosecute others, though it did not identify any potential targets.
You know why we call it Slow Saturday, right?
McLaughlin will plead guilty Tuesday to four counts of deliberately concealing his inflated salary from state and federal regulators from 2008 until he was forced to resign in 2011, when it reached $360,000, according to an agreement filed in federal court Friday.
“Defendant expressly and unequivocally admits that he committed the crimes charged in all counts of the information, did so knowingly and intentionally, and is in fact guilty of those offenses,” federal prosecutors said in the document signed by US Attorney Carmen Ortiz’s office, McLaughlin, and his lawyer.
Under federal guidelines, if he does not adequately assist investigators, McLaughlin could be sentenced to 12 to 18 months in federal prison, with some portion of the time to be served in a halfway house or under house arrest.
That's it?
The more you steal the less the penalties!
But if he provides “substantial assistance” to federal prosecutors, helping them “in the investigation or prosecution of another person who has committed a criminal offense,” he may do less time or none at all. Prosecutors also agreed not to use any information he provides against McLaughlin himself.
But he's the main crook!?!
Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray has acknowledged being questioned under oath about his ties to McLaughlin. Many Chelsea Housing Authority employees and politicians in the Merrimack Valley have told the Globe that they attended Murray fund-raisers hosted by McLaughlin, even though as a federal employee, he was prohibited from most political activity.
Also see: The Murray-McLaughlin Connection
Murray has denied knowing that McLaughlin was collecting donations on his behalf and has said he was fooled by the housing authority head as were many other people....
Turning on each other now?
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Related:
"Ex-Chelsea housing chief admits guilt in hiding big salary; Federal deal may mean little or no prison time; separate state inquiry focuses on fund-raising" by Sean P. Murphy and Andrea Estes | Globe Staff, February 20, 2013
Former Chelsea public housing chief Michael E. McLaughlin could face little, if any, prison time under Tuesday’s plea agreement with federal prosecutors, but he still faces possible criminal prosecution from state Attorney General Martha Coakley, who is conducting an energetic investigation into McLaughlin’s allegedly illegal political fund-raising.
McLaughlin pleaded guilty to four felony counts of concealing his inflated salary from federal officials. He has not yet negotiated a plea deal with state investigators that, like the federal deal, would require him to provide evidence against others. However, a person briefed on Coakley’s investigation said McLaughlin is already providing information about his relationship with his onetime ally, Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray.
On Tuesday, McLaughlin admitted that for at least four years he intentionally understated his actual salary by about $140,000 annually out of fear that disclosure would trigger a federal investigation into his activities at the Chelsea Housing Authority, which provides housing for elderly and low income people.
His $360,000 salary was among the highest of any public housing official in the United States.
McLaughlin was subdued and slightly nervous as he appeared before US District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock. That was a marked change from his court appearance in November 2011, when he boasted about his salary, telling a Globe reporter he deserved every penny of his pay because he was a superstar among the nation’s housing directors. Asked directly why he understated his salary in official documents, McLaughlin smiled and answered, “That was the rebel in me.”
The Globe began investigating the 67-year-old McLaughlin in late 2011 as he prepared to file for a state pension, which at an estimated $278,000 a year would have been one of the largest in the state. As an admitted felon, McLaughlin now is at risk of losing his retirement income.
Poor guy.
Meanwhile, the state grand jury, impaneled by Coakley, has been investigating McLaughlin’s fund-raising on behalf of Murray and other politicians. As a federal official, McLaughlin was prohibited from most political activity, but several Chelsea Housing Authority employees and politicians in the Merrimack Valley told the Globe they attended Murray fund-raisers that McLaughlin helped organize. Some said they donated cash, violating state campaign finance laws.
Murray’s connection to McLaughlin, one of his key supporters when Murray first ran for lieutenant governor in 2006, has seriously damaged his political career. Murray announced in January he will not run for governor in 2014 even though, with Governor Deval Patrick not seeking another term, he would have been considered a front-runner.
I couldn't care any less about his political career.
A key issue in Coakley’s investigation is whether politicians — including Murray — knew that McLaughlin was raising funds on their behalf....
Related: Slow Saturday Special: Coakley $ettles With Cahill
Good luck with Mike, Marty.
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