Crime

Federal judge Douglas Woodlock has sentenced former state Senator Dianne Wilkerson to 3 1/2 years in prison for taking $23,500 in bribes in a scandal that rocked the Massachusetts State House and Boston City Hall. The Boston Globe reported that Woodlock said he recognized Wilkerson’s service to the community but he called her “financially embarrassed […]

A federal judge has delayed the sentencing of former state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson for corruption charges. Wilkerson was scheduled to be sentenced this week, but both the prosecution and the defense asked U.S. District Court Judge Douglas Woodlock to consider additional information first. Woodlock heard more testimony from Dorchester developer Azeed Mohammed, who claims Wilkerson […]

Attorneys for a former Massachusetts state senator who pleaded guilty to accepting $23,500 in bribes are complaining that federal prosecutors are trying to persuade a judge to sentence her to more than the four years maximum called for under a plea agreement. Boston Democrat Dianne Wilkerson pleaded guilty in June to eight counts of attempted […]

Local businessman Ronald Wilburn concluded three days of lively testimony at the trial of Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner and then predicted that Turner will be convicted of lying to FBI agents, according to the Boston Globe. Wilburn, 71, was an undercover informant for the FBI during an investigation that netted Turner and former state […]

The Boston Globe reports that an inspector for the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission from Melrose who was arrested in July for allegedly taking a bribe in exchange for obtaining a liquor license has been indicted in Superior Court. Arthur Hitchman, 39, was indicted by a Middlesex grand jury on charges of attempted extortion, soliciting, […]

Good, in-depth reporting by the Lawrence Eagle Tribune on the recent spate of violence at bars and nightclubs at 205 Broadway and the local police and ABCC’s efforts to deal with the liquor license owners. The Trib relays stories of shootings and drug deals and questions whether local authorities are equipped to combat the crimes. […]

The sentencing of former state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson on corruption charges has been postponed by a judge concerned about pretrial publicity affecting the trial of a Boston city councilor, Chuck Turner. Wilkerson had been scheduled for sentencing Sept. 20 after pleading guilty in June to eight counts of attempted extortion. But U.S. District Judge Douglas […]

One in 12 drivers admitted driving drunk at least once over the course of a year, a government survey released last week found. One in five, or 20% of the nearly 7,000 people surveyed, said they had driven in the past year within two hours of drinking an alcoholic beverage. Yet an overwhelming majority – […]

The Boston Globe reported that the head of the city’s Licensing Board said that the Lansdowne Street bar where a man was killed by a broken beer mug last week will retain its liquor license and that the board will support the pub’s right to use glassware. I reported in this blog yesterday that the […]

The Lansdowne Pub in Boston, where a man was killed by a broken beer glass early Saturday morning, will switch to plastic cups and non-glass bottles until a city licensing hearing next month, the Boston Globe reports. Patricia Malone, Boston’s director of consumer affairs and licensing, said the bar will not use glass at least […]

The Newburyport News reports that following another bar fight, Salisbury police will take measures to curb violent alcohol-fueled incidents. Police will be doing spot checks inside bars, holding more people in custody, and forwarding the names of bars that over-serve patrons to the town’s liquor licensing board. License holders should be aware that they could […]

A Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission investigator was arrested yesterday and charged with accepting a cash bribe of several thousand dollars to help a convicted felon obtain a liquor license, the Boston Globe reported, citing the Middlesex district attorney’s office. Arthur Hitchman, 39, of Melrose was charged with attempted extortion, bribery, and two counts of […]

The Herald reports that a bartender at a Chicopee bar accused of fatally stabbing a customer has been ordered held without bail. A not guilty plea was entered on behalf of 35-year-old Derek Fish at his arraignment Monday in Chicopee District Court. He is scheduled back in court Friday. Police say Fish stabbed Eamonn Gallagher […]