It's about time. Throw 'em all in jail. It is obvious what they did. I don't feel sorry for any of these corrupt crooks.

Let's not allow the legislature to pass any new pay raises by stating that they are under compensated for the work they do. What a farce. I guess they consider corruption to be hard work.

Excellent article, Andrea and Scott.

That may be the only way to clean house, otherwise, the lemming citizens on MA will only reelect them......

Public resources and time by the US Attorney's office would be well spent investigating the beneficiaries of the multitude of green laws ushered by the Patrick Administration. The Green Communities Act sponsored by Sal DiMasi was signed by Governor Patrick who stated the Act: "...will reduce electric bills..." Governor Deval L. Patrick Energy Bill Signing- http://www.jdsupra.com/post/documentViewer.aspx?fid=881e7bf3-abb5-4b47-b7e5-f6a626144f91 Attorney General Martha Coakley reviewed the Act and determined it carries a $4 Billion dollar ratepayer premium. Crony capitalism and corporate welfare diminish the standard of living in MA where Public Officials write the rules that mandate the green goods and services they brazenly sell out of their Public Offices. The public funds 65% in "Junk" rated companies like First Wind, with CEO acting as Deval Patrick's appointed green policy Advisor, with a Trade Secret, their wind turbines fail. The State is investing your green$ thru green laws enacted that obviously favor the renewable industry. It's alarming that MA Public Officials comprise the CEOs, founders, Directors, Presidents, VPs, and stockholders of companies receiving stimulus, grants and loan guarantees. Merit is clearly not the driver in the very bad investments of public funds, (tithing of the green gods): -Evergreen Solar, Beacon Power, Konarka Techologies have left citizens on the hook for $58 million, $43 million, and $25 million respectively. Massachusetts Green Bubble Alert: First Wind- http://bjdurk.newsvine.com/_news/2012/04/01/10888055-massachusetts-green-bubble-alert-first-wind Massachusetts Green Bubble Alert: EnerNOC http://bjdurk.newsvine.com/_news/2012/04/07/10891513-massachusetts-green-bubble-alert-enernoc Massachusetts Green Bubble Alert: A123 Systems- http://bjdurk.newsvine.com/_news/2012/03/27/10887207-massachusetts-green-bubble-alert-a123-systems-aone Massachusetts Green Bubble Alert: Mass Tank partners with Goldwind of Xinjiang, China- http://bjdurk.newsvine.com/_news/2012/03/27/10888647-massachusetts-green-bubble-alert-mass-tank-partners-with-goldwind-of-xinjiang-china Massachusetts Green Bubble Alert: Flodesign-http://bjdurk.newsvine.com/_news/2012/03/27/10889807-massachusetts-green-bubble-alert-flodesign Massachusetts Green Bubble Alert: Wind Turbine Blade Testing http://bjdurk.newsvine.com/_news/2012/04/12/11165394-massachusetts-green-bubble-alert-wind-turbine-blade-testing-center While I agree that the Probation Department crony capitalism issue merits attention, the cost to ratepayers enslaved by a litany of Patrick's green laws, with our investments in green companies that are failing, is the mother lode.

It really is. And fascinating. The findings thus far are stunning.

Silly feds....don't they realize its not illegal to be illegal if you are a democrat in massachusetts...

This ongoing pattern of corruption on Beacon Hill really infuriates me. I don't mean to throw an on-line tantrum, but quite frankly I hope the US prosecutor throws the book at every corrupt legislator she can find in this inquiry. What makes the situation especially galling is that Beacon Hill is always talking about strained resources to meet programmatic needs. Well, how about hiring the best candidate for each position instead of someone from your list of favorite "hacks"?! Hiring incompetents basically imposes a hidden tax on the public since we're not getting our money's worth for the positions we're funding.

The Massachusetts State House is a sewer! And you libitards from Massachusetts deserve everything that comes your way! Keep voting for the liberal democrates and they will do their very best to provide the ****!

This is just silly. Laws favoring a particular industry are nothing new, and they are not "corruption" or "crony capitalism". They might be bad policy, you can argue, but it's not cronyism. It's just a policy you disagree with.

If Bobby D gets busted, wouldn't he be the fourth Speaker in a row to be indicted for a felony? And so it goes in Massachusetts, the most corrupt state in the country.

I've considered DeLeo a crook since he became speaker, and that was confirmed by the Probation scandal. He represents a minor portion of my city (Revere), but the majority of residents (including myself) aren't privileged to be able to vote against him.

Simply not true -- by a long shot. It would be good if you would discontinue repeating lies as facts. There's corruption here, and everywhere, but the most corrupt states are Michigan, the Dakotas, South Carolina, Maine, Virginia, Georgia, and Wyoming. The Center for Public Integrity ranks Massachusetts as 11th most honest out of 50 states.

BUT, I'm sick of people who are either mistaken or deliberately lying saying Mass is the "most corrupt state." There's corruption in every state, but the Center for Public Integrity ranks Massachusetts as the 11th least corrupt. Maybe you should check before spewing complete falsehoods. http://www.iwatchnews.org/2012/03/19/8423/grading-nation-how-accountable-your-state

A post filled with links is a post to be ignored. I might be interested in what you personally have to say but I'm not interested in echoes of other sources. I also agree with ktm123, who can make a point using a reasonable number of words.

The lemming analogy was once original with someone long forgotten. Now only lemmings find it necessary to copy it as if it was their words.

Why should the tax payers have to pick up the tab for O'Brien defense (his newly appointed lawyers) I recently read that all pensions are to be considered as part determining who qualifies for state appointed lawyers. I can't believe he can't afford his own lawyer with his salary. Perhaps the Globe could look into this.

Who-cares: Do you live in Massachusetts? Have you ever lived in another state? Do you think there's any connection between corruption and one-party rule? If Massachusetts were, as the Center for Public Integrity (whatever that is) says, the 11th most honest state, one has to wonder what sort of criteria they're using. Think about it. How could a state be more corrupt than Massachusetts, where cops can make 200 grand, where firemen make 100 grand for a half time job, where toll takers routinely take in 75 grand, where House Speakers get indicted for felonies, where state reps think their bras are pocketbooks, where entire government departments are used as safe havens for unemployed hack pols and on and on and on...

You deal in emotions and anecdotal evidence because all you see is what's around you. You don't see what it's like in most other states. Maine is among the worse states. Corruption has existed since at least the ancient Greeks and will continue to exist. We can minimumize it, but not eliminate it. Cops don't make $200,000, so you're not even dealing with valid information, but high salaries for civil servant are possibly mismanagement but not corruption. If you have doubts about how the Center for Public Integrity ranks state governments, why not check their webpage instead of engaging in groundless rants. Georgia was the worst, by the way.

I've got news for you, who-cares, some Boston cops, quite a few actually, do take home more than 200 grand including the overtime scam, the detail scam and the Quinn bill scam. Check it out.

Overtime is not what somebody "makes" because overtime isn't a guaranteed part of their salary. If overtime for civil servants is excessive, that's not corruption, it's poor management. Corruption is when people gain a benefit they're not entitled to by a secret violation of ethics or of the law. A scam is a confidence scheme, a fraudulent practice, not something that's above board and publicly reported. Everything you happen to dislike is not corruption or a scam. Why do I have to explain to you the meaning of English words? You purpose is obviously to inflame rather than to reform.

I should have said that I agree that minority of Boston police officers make excessive overtime. That's s single city with poor police management -- a city with only about 10 percent of the state's population. There's a solution at the polls if you live in Boston. Otherwise it's none of your business if Boston residents are satisfied.

But who-cares, these cops are paid with my tax dollars, so it is my business.

Basically you pay their salaries only if you live in Boston and pay taxes in Boston. Of course all cities and towns get a small amount of state aid, but I would guess your town gets enough to pretty much even things out.

Who-cares: The overtime scam is attributable to more than bad management. Here's how it works: You're a cop; you take a sick day (on rare occasions, you might actually be sick). Another cop has to take your place. That cop gets paid overtime. Next time, you take a sick day and another cop has to take your place, so he gets overtime. Nobody's really sick, and this scam generates oodles of overtime. To clarify, I have tremendous respect for the job that most of the cops do and disgust for the way some of them milk the system.