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City official’s lawyer lashes out at US Attorney’s office

Timothy Sullivan left the Moakley Federal Courthouse Wednesday. Jim Davis/Globe staff

Timothy Sullivan, the city of Boston’s acting director of intergovernmental relations, made a brief appearance in US District Court Wednesday afternoon to face charges of extortion and conspiracy.

Sullivan, appearing in court dressed in jeans and a blue golf-style T-shirt, was released on $25,000 unsecured bond and directed not to discuss the case with witnesses or victims. His arraignment was set for July 12.

Federal agents arrested Sullivan early Wednesday morning, on a two-count federal indictment that accuses him of conspiring with Kenneth Brissette, the city’s top tourism official, to force the Boston Calling music festival into hiring unneeded union stagehands in 2014. Brissette was indicted in May and has pleaded not guilty.

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William Cintolo, a lawyer for Sullivan, blasted the indictment after the hearing, saying prosecutors ignored Monday’s US Supreme Court decision that sought to draw a line between corruption and a public employee’s legitimate work on behalf of constituents.

All Sullivan did was set up a meeting between constituents, Cintolo said. “There is no allegation that he received any money, that he received any gifts, that he received any dinner or anything of that nature,” he said. “The allegation in this case is that a meeting was set up, some people discussed what should be done, whether some union members should be hired.” Cintolo said “one [of] the victims in this case will testify that they do not believe they were threatened or coerced or (had) pressure put on them.”

“I think the US attorney’s office believes they could run the city of Boston, meaning they’ll decide what’s good government, what’s not good government,” he said. “That’s exactly what federalism prevents; that’s what our constitutional fathers…wanted to prevent.”


With contributions from Milton J. Valencia of the Globe staff


Mark Arsenault can be reached at mark.arsenault@globe.com