Defense attorneys (from left) John Amabile, William Fick, Stellio Sennis, Jeffrey Denner, and Brad Bailey A federal jury found former state Probation Department commissioner John O’Brien guilty of mail fraud, […]
Paul McMorrow
Paul McMorrow comes to CommonWealth from Banker & Tradesman, where he covered commercial real estate and development. He previously worked as a contributing editor to Boston magazine, where he covered local politics in print and online. He got his start at the Weekly Dig, where he worked as a staff writer, and later news and features editor. Paul writes a frequent column about real estate for the Boston Globe’s Op-Ed page, and is a regular contributor to BeerAdvocate magazine. His work has been recognized by the City and Regional Magazine Association, the New England Press Association, and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. He is a Boston University graduate and a lifelong New Englander.
Posted inPolitics
Coakley spinning her wheels
A new Boston Globe poll has Martha Coakley locked in a statistical dead heat with Charlie Baker, the presumptive Republican nominee for governor. Coakley’s lead in a matchup against Baker […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
How DeLeo became a coconspirator
Federal prosecutors changed their view of House Speaker Robert DeLeo during the course of the trial of former Probation commissioner John O’Brien, largely because of the testimony of a shaky […]
Posted inPolitics
Probation closing statements: The prosecution, the defense & the judge
The prosecution: Former Probation commissioner John O’Brien wrote a January 2007 letter to his nemesis, Trial Court chief Robert Mulligan, in which he defended the way people were hired at […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Walsh calls BRA a mess
Shoddy record-keeping and weak management inside the Boston Redevelopment Authority have cost Boston’s powerful development agency millions of dollars in unpaid fees and lease payments, an outside audit of the […]
Posted inPolitics
The defense
Former Probation commissioner John O’Brien (right) with his attorneys Stellio Sinnis (center) and William Fick. Defense attorneys for former Probation Department officials John O’Brien, Elizabeth Tavares and William Burke III […]
Posted inPolitics
US Attorney labels DeLeo a coconspirator
The top public corruption prosecutor in US Attorney Carmen Ortiz’s office said Monday that House Speaker Robert DeLeo was an active member of the racketeering conspiracy that led to the […]
Posted inPolitics
Despite concerns, Young keeps most charges
US District Court Judge William Young on Monday slightly narrowed the charges against former Probation commissioner John O’Brien and two of his top aides but agreed to send the case […]
Posted inPolitics
Defense: Mulligan played patronage like O’Brien
An attorney for former Probation Department commissioner John O’Brien on Wednesday accused Robert Mulligan, the former chief justice of the Massachusetts Trial Court, of practicing political patronage, playing fast and […]
Posted inPolitics
Aide describes pressure to hire rep’s wife
A former high-ranking official in the state’s Probation Department said Friday that a coworker pressured him to hire the wife of a prominent member of the House of Representatives. The […]
Posted inEconomy
Walsh gives Chiofaro an opening on garage
The view from Grain Exchange Boston Mayor Marty Walsh wasn’t in the room Wednesday afternoon, when the developer Don Chiofaro unveiled his latest bid at demolishing a hulking waterfront parking […]
Posted inPolitics
Mulligan, Probation aide met at judge’s home in ‘06
Robert Mulligan, the former chief justice for administration and management of the Massachusetts Trial Court, was aware of hiring irregularities at the state Probation Department in 2006, but didn’t feel […]
Posted inPolitics
O’Brien attorneys call for Probation mistrial
Attorneys in the federal corruption trial of former state Probation Department commissioner John O’Brien asked for a mistrial Friday after a prosecution witness said he has been discussing testimony in […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
PACs and caps
A campaign finance package the Legislature advanced Wednesday afternoon would double the state’s limits on contributions to political candidates. The change would allow candidates to accept $1,000 checks from donors, […]
Posted inPolitics
Prosecution struggles in Probation Department case
Former Probation Department commissioner John O’Brien is on trial at a South Boston federal courthouse for allegedly running his department like a criminal enterprise. Federal prosecutors claim that O’Brien oversaw […]
Posted inPolitics
Probation prosecutors drop 2 mail fraud charges
Federal prosecutors are scaling back their case against former state Probation Department boss John O’Brien, dropping two of 10 mail fraud charges that form the bulk of the case against […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
State House on trial
Every weekday, for the next month or two, former state Probation Department boss John O’Brien will walk into the federal courthouse in South Boston and listen as prosecutors try to […]
Posted inPolitics
Probation job was answer to woman’s pension play
When Patricia Mosca came knocking on Senate President Therese Murray’s door, Murray’s staffers knew what Mosca was after: a bump in her state pension. Murray’s office went along with the […]
Posted inPolitics
Probation defense: What did Judge Mulligan know?
Defense lawyers for former state Probation Department boss John O’Brien fought hard last week to bring patronage-laden court officer hirings into play at O’Brien’s federal corruption trial. On Monday, O’Brien’s […]
Posted inPolitics
Senate President pushed Probation on son of judge
Senate President Therese Murray personally tracked the progress of a controversial patronage hire within the Probation Department, at one point leaving a handwritten note on a staffer’s desk, asking, “How […]
Posted inPolitics
Young reels in lawyers in probation case
The third day of the federal racketeering trial of former Probation Department boss John O’Brien opened with US District Court Judge William Young turning aside a bid by O’Brien’s lawyers […]
Posted inPolitics
Walsh asserts casino double standard
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and a group opposed to casinos suggested on Friday that the proposed Mohegan Sun gambling facility is so intertwined with the Suffolk Downs race track straddling […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Walsh at 101 days
Marty Walsh rang in his 101st day as mayor of Boston on Wednesday. As he stood at the front of an East Boston gymnasium, ticking off a laundry list of […]