Saying that he hopes to never “see the inside of Suffolk Superior Court again,” former state treasurer Timothy P. Cahill agreed to pay a $100,000 fine Friday for violating state ethics law during his 2010 campaign for governor.
The decision settles the public corruption charges against him and brings a close to a long-running political saga. It also ends a controversial prosecution that charged Cahill with conspiring to use a $1.5 million, publicly funded lottery ad blitz to boost his struggling, and ultimately unsuccessful, campaign for governor.
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That was the most blatantly political prosecution I have ever seen. He's not a bad guy, a bit of a dolt, but not a bad guy. Thank him for getting Deval re-elected though.
I disagree that Cahill handed Patrick his re-election. If Baker were a stronger candidate he would have won, and there would be a different camp claiming Cahill handed the governorship to Baker. Perhaps Baker will be a better choice in 2014 than he was in 2010, if he runs, or perhaps there will be someone else. Personally I'd like to see A) someone other than the same tired crop, and B) someone with deeper roots. Even though I am myself a newcomer I don't look with much favor on 'carpetbaggers.'
Deville Deval should chip in to pay the fine.
When will she be prosecuting Mayor Menino for exacting contributions to his charity for doing business with the city of Boston?
Rather than do the right thing and drop this absurd and politically motivated prosecution altogether, using the threat of re-trying him (and all that entails, i.e., possible imprisonment, more legal fees, etc.) Coakley extracts a fine from Cahill so that she can claim a victory of sorts. Just why Massachusetts voters returned her to office, I cannot understand. She is ruthless and irresponsible with her power.
I hate to disagree, but Martha Coakley is actually doing her job responsibly. I only hope that she has the power to investigate Tim Murray once his Chelsea Housing buddy starts to sing. Cahill was operating on the edge, in my opinion.
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Wow!! What a sweet deal. How did he swing that one? Someone put pressure on the AG's office.
Tim Cahill was guilty of misusing Lottery funds. He got lucky on this. Anybody on this site that says otherwise is a friend or relative. I would have voted for Cahill until I saw the corrupt use of lottery funds.
Not a friend or relative of Cahill's. I don't really politicians. But, as a criminal defense lawyer, I've been up against Coakley and she is absolutely ruthless, meanspirited, and unethical. I have never encountered a prosecutor like her.
I'm not a friend or relative, either, and I, too, say otherwise. Prosecuting him was a "close call" but since they wer trying him based on a new law, just passed by the legislature, they should have gone the civil route with the Ethics Commission.
All that money wasted on the criminal prosecution when this was a civil matter from jump. Martha Coakley may be a brilliant lawyer but she has a screw loose somewhere.
What did it cost taxpayers in the end?
For Attorney General Martha Coakley to bring criminal charges against Tim Cahill was a stretch of a weak case. The $25,000 a year for four years Mr. Cahill repays the state will not even cover the cost of proscecuting him.
Political corruption= "violating state ethics law during his 2010 campaign for governor."
Cahill ought to have received a jail sentence.