Mayor Marty Walsh issues statement on verdict in Boston Calling extortion trial
"I am surprised and disappointed."
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said in a statement Wednesday afternoon he was “surprised and disappointed” following the verdict in the extortion trial of two city hall officials.
Kenneth Brissette, the city’s director of tourism, and Timothy Sullivan, chief of intergovernmental affairs, were convicted of conspiring to extort the founders of the Boston Calling music festival. Prosecutors said the two men illegally put pressure on the festival organizers into hiring union stagehands for the event in order to please Walsh.
Walsh issued the below statement following the verdict in the case:
“I am surprised and disappointed. I have made clear from the beginning that there is only one way to do things in my Administration and that is the right way. I have always believed that their hearts were in the right place. We have taken several measures at the City of Boston to ensure that every employee has the right tools and training to perform at the highest ethical standards, which has always been my expectation.”
Brissette was convicted of both charges he was facing — Hobbs Act conspiracy and Hobbs Act extortion, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. Sullivan was convicted of Hobbs Act conspiracy.
Defendant Kenneth Brissette convicted of Hobbs Act conspiracy and Hobbs Act extortion. Defendant Timothy Sullivan convicted of Hobbs Act conspiracy.
— U.S. Attorney Massachusetts (@DMAnews1) August 7, 2019
According to The Boston Globe, both men face a maximum of 20 years in prison for the conspiracy convictions, and Brissette faces the same maximum penalty for his extortion conviction.
