Articles Posted in Miscellaneous

Enacted in 1998, the Massachusetts Armed Career Criminal Statute, M.G.L. c. 269, section 10G, otherwise known as “ACC”, imposes enhanced penalties for persons previously convicted of a “violent crime” or a “serious drug offense.”

Depending on the number of prior convictions that might form the basis of an ACC enhanced indictment, a person may be indicted as an armed career criminal as a level 1, 2 or 3. ACC Level 1 provides for an additional punishment of a minimum-mandatory sentence of 3 to 15 years; Level 2 provides for 10-15 years; and Level 3 provides for a 15-20 year sentence to state prison.

But what “violent crime” is sufficient to form a basis of an enhance Armed Career Criminal indictment?

A Boston firefighter was arraigned this week in West Roxbury District Court on charges of Violation of a Restraining Order, Threat to Kill, and Intimidation of a Witnesses.

It is alleged that a Michael Costello, of Hyde Park, had been the subject of a restraining order taken out against him by a Boston Police Officer. According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Costello allegedly told another officer that he planned to kill the officer who had taken out the restraining order in Quincy District Court.

Following his arraignment, Michael Costello was held on $1,000 police, but was held without bail after his Quincy bail was revoked.

Derrick Hunt, 21 of Roxbury, and Jose Maysonet, 19, of Boston, were both arraigned this morning in Boston Municipal Court on charges of Intimidation of a Witness in connection with the Murder of Alex Sierra, 18.

Sierra was shot this past weekend in Boston’s South End, allegedly by Ricardo Arias. According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Hunt and Maysonet, friends of Arias, allegedly threatened a witness prior to Arias’ arraignment.

In Massachusetts, the crime of Intimidation of a Witness is defined as the attempt to influence or intimidate a witness or to interfere with a criminal investigation. The potential penalty upon conviction for this crime is for any term up to 2.5 years in the House of Corrections; or up to 10 years in state prison.

Kendrick Perkins, former center for the Boston Celtics, was arrested early this morning in his hometown of Texas on Disorderly Conduct charges.

According to police, officers responded to a club where a large group of men was reported to be rowdy. Although the group of men that were with Perkins reportedly tried to calm him, he became angry and allegedly tried to start a fight.

In Massachusetts, the crime of Disorderly Conduct is punishable with a fine of up to $150 for a first time offender; and up to 6 months in jail for a subsequent offense. The law prohibiting Disorderly Conduct is intended to control that conduct which disturbs the public tranquility or is aimed to alarm or provoke others. Specifically, Disorderly Conduct prohibits the following acts or conduct:

1. The use of force or violence;

Sunday’s Boston Globe cover story, entitled “He’s the jurist defendant’s covet – Judge ‘Let Me Go'”, unfairly portrays Boston Municipal Court Judge Raymond G. Dougan, Jr. as the most lenient judge in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and misleads the public from what the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office is trying to accomplish – an uneven playing field.

The reality is, for every Judge who may be ‘defense oriented’, there are 20 Judges who continue to ‘prosecute from the bench’. Why doesn’t the Boston Globe run a front page article about the number of cases that are dismissed in Suffolk County each year because Mr. Conley’s office neglects to obtain evidence or otherwise prepare for trial? Or because police and other witnesses fail to appear? Or when prosecutor’s witnesses are caught lying under oath in court? Or when prosecutor’s withhold exculpatory evidence while defendant’s are wrongfully detained in jail?

At the end of the day, it is a pathetic and clearly calculated campaign undertaken by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office to remove from the judiciary any Judges that are not afraid to make truly independent rulings and without regard to whether or not they appease Mr. Dan Conley. I commend Judge Dougan for not caring whether his rulings piss off the prosecutors…I commend him for standing firm on each and every ruling he has made. The reality is, there are way too many judge’s that make their rulings because they are influenced with public opinion.

Revere Police Officer Todd P. Randall, was charged in Boston’s Federal Court with Obstruction of Justice and Bribery.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice and the Boston FBI office, Revere Police Officer Randall allegedly lied to FBI agents when questioned about a conversation he had with an FBI informant. The informant disclosed that Officer Randall, while on duty and with his Revere Police vehicle, drove to the informant’s home and accepted a bribe of $200 to help fix or influence a pending criminal case of the informant’s friends that was pending in Chelsea District Court.

Federal agents further allege that, when confronted, Officer Randall denied ever knowing or meeting the informant or friend. The FBI agents, however, had videotaped the Revere police officer in the act of taking the money and accepted the bribe.