Court Upholds Fraud Convictions And Extortion Of Former Fall River Mayor From Marijuana Businesses

A federal court on Monday has found that the trial of the former young mayor of a Massachusetts city for extortion and fraud was fairly done, upholding the guilty conviction of the ex-mayor who solicited bribes from businesses in the small city.

The conviction of former Fall River Mayor Jasiel Corriea for extortion and fraud charges was upheld by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday, saying that they found that Corriea was “fairly tried and lawfully convicted by an impartial jury,” according to the Associated Press.

Corriea was elected at 23 years old on the back of his experience as a supposedly-successful entrepreneur who could bring Fall River back to life. At the time, he had an app, SnoOwl, that helped businesses connect with consumers, ABC News reported.

Prosecutors who charged him with fraud and extortion conspiracy, among other charges, said that he had stolen the money given to him by investors for the SnoOwl app in order to fund his lifestyle, and that he had instituted a pay-to-play scheme to force marijuana businesses to bribe him money in exchange for letters of approval from the city.

While his convictions of wire fraud and false tax returns were overturned due to a belief that the prosecutors have failed to prove the case, the court found the fraud and extortion convictions to hold water as he defrauded investors for his app and solicited bribes from businesses in the city.

Corriea, who was once seen as a potential rising star in the Democratic party after his election at a young age, has denied the charges as an “unfair smear campaign” with “remarkably shallow” evidence, and has maintained his innocence on the matter.

One of the pieces of evidence disputed by Corriea’s lawyers was a clip from a 2015 mayoral debate where he had said that he would spend the taxes of the city “wisely” like he did for his business. In response, Judge Bruce Selya said in the decision that “nothing in the record suggests that invoking the plight of those voters would have clouded the jury’s ability to weigh the evidence fairly.”

Corriea has reported to prison in April of this year to start his six-year sentence.