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.
Comments
Timmy, "What a tangled web we weave " !
Timmy gave McLaughin a "Stop the Snitchin" t-shirt for Chrismas.
He doesn't have to admit guilt. The judge need only ask: " are you, or are you not, a democrat?".
Coakley is handling the investigation? She's too tied to the state Dems, send in the Feds. She'll never come up with anything on Timmy Murray or Deval.
Greed is never good, but at least when it is restricted to the private sector, it does not involve taxes confiscated from the public, and I am free to boycott the products and services of those who engage in it. Apart from the gross overcompensation that McLaughlin received at $360,000 per year for a no-show job and no heavy lifting (to say nothing of his bloated pension), what happened to the $7M? And how many thousands more McLaughlins are there hiding out in the jungle of governmental agencies?
Who's surprised at the light "punishment"? This man is crook, a theif, nothing less and his penalty for stealing thousands (if not much more) will be miniscule because he is part of the pampered, protected, political class where the government is little inclined to root out (much less punish) a politically connected crook. A private sector manager would go to jail for embezzelment, certainly. A private sector vendor who riped off a program serving the poor would be held up by the Globe (as well as much of the rest of the media) as an example of the "unbridled greed" inherent to the private sector. Credit to the Globe for at least prominately printing more of these blatent examples of public sector "unbridled greed" as only broad and continous publication of such government corruption will "bridle" corrupt and criminal public sector actors. Clearly the government has no interest in uncovering such outrageous conduct (conduct which would be often precluded by competent, independent, audits). Would that the Globe would understand that its bread and butter is to be a watchdog of the GOVERNMENT as much as critic of private sector misdoings. Print more of this Globe and you'll not only survive but, rightfully, thrive. Ignore it your peril.
last time i checked banks were private sector entities that stole badly and nearly wrecked the economy. as senator warren famously pointed out, these private sector crooks have enjoyed unbridled impunity... so get off the holier than thou private sector...their greed costs every one of us
that said mclaughlin deserves jail time
Michael McLaughlin has spent 25+ years employed in state government. He has stolen tax payer money with every opportunity that came his way and looked for ways to be a 'crook.' After being a 'scoundrel & crook' for 25+ years, the court system fails to give him a jail sentence??!!!!
There is something the matter with a legal system that fails to prosecute the obvious _but, charges a Harvard University Fellow (straight A student) with 30+ years jail time for downloading free student papers from JSTOR!
Thank you. My thoughts exactly. A disgraceful arrogance and misplaced sense of justice. Globe, find out about the retirement pension.
Did Mike really expect his $278,000 pension application to slip under the radar? Come to think of it, he's connected to a bunch of pols and, most importantly, he's a Democrat. A Democrat crook among a bunch of other Democrat crooks. Obviously, he thought he could get away with it.
Greed kills
Mr cotting worked at the Chelsea housing authority,then theEHA,and left yhis job
Let's not forget that Mr. Clean, former AG Scott Harshbarger, placed a call last Nov. in to Deval on behalf of this low life. He was told by then Chief of Staff Mo Cowan not to call again (Google Mike McLaughlin and Scott Harbarger for reference).