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Lawyer gets probation for trying to bribe attack victim to drop charges
By adamg on Fri, 06/03/2016 - 5:10pm
Timothy Flaherty pleaded guilty in state court today to charges he offered $2,500 to a man his client allegedly beat and screamed anti-Muslim epithets at to ignore prosecutors and police investigating the case.
Word of his plea comes from the US Attorney's office, which says the state plea will help him settle similar federal charges.
Flaherty was indicted in federal court last year after the victim went to the feds when Flaherty offered him the money to tell prosecutors he no longer wanted to press charges. A federal indictment charged Flaherty then handed the money over to the man during a meeting at a Medford coffee shop.
Under the terms of a plea agreement, Flaherty will be on probation for a year, during which he can't practice law. He also faces disciplinary action by the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers.
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Comments
Only probation? And then he
Only probation? And then he can be a lawyer again!? That is crazy, he should at a minimum do some jail time and never be able to practice law again.
Probably not
I think it would be up to the Board of Bar Overseers to make that determination (if they haven't already). I don't think the Federal Court is the forum for that (though I would't be surprised it revoked his admission to the Federal Bar, if he had it in the first place.
Correct
You're right. The BBO has exclusive authority to discipline lawyers licensed to practice law in Massachusetts; federal courts wouldn't have the jurisdiction to do it. The BBO is the decider for censure, suspension, or disbarment.
Probation
An officer of the court deliberately attempts to subvert its work, and he gets probation. I wonder if this is the first time he's done this. I wonder if it will be the last. Maybe BOBO will disbar him. Maybe.
From what I hear,
Flaherty is a respectable guy. I think the Fed charges, at least, are a sham. Will try to post more later.
you mean, aside from trying
you mean, aside from trying to bribe someone?
From what I hear,
Flaherty is an awful guy. I think the Fed charges, at least, are justified. Will try to post more later.
I don't really see the
I don't really see the problem with him doing this, if anything it's a fair and efficient resolution to the case. The victim gets restitution, the perpetrator gets financially punished, and the courts aren't burdened with another case. If the victim feels the offer isn't enough, or wishes for the perpetrator to still face criminal charges, then the victim can simply say no to the offer.
huh?
1.) He approached the victim of one of his clients
2.) He advised him to ignore the prosecutors who were trying to contact him (conflict of interest at minimum, obstruction of justice more likely).
3.) He offered money to shut up about a crime
Nothing wrong with that.....in El Salvador, maybe.
One doesn't have to be in law to realize that
this:
has something more than just a little bit wrong with it. I smell a rat here!
Really? You don't? There is a huge problem with it.
This wasn't a civil case, it was a criminal case and he was interfering with a criminal investigation. A hate crime was committed, the DA, on the victim's, as well as the public's, behalf was prosecuting it as the plaintiff. It is not up to the counsel of a defendant to try to negotiate with a third party (the victim) and try obfuscate the plaintiff's prosecution. The ends do not justify the means.
Exactly
This is not the same thing as offering a plaintiff money to settle out of court. It is all kinds of illegal, and that lawyer knew it.
Lesson learned. Next time
Lesson learned. Next time the lawyer should hire the victim as an "expert witness" instead to keep it totally above board.
Good point, perruptor.
This:
is precisely what I meant when I said that there was something more than just a little bit wrong with that lawyer's action in this case, and that I smelled a rat!
Keep voting Democrat!
Tim Flaherty's dad "Good Time Charlie" Flaherty was the first of three consecutive Democrat Mass. House Speakers to be convicted on federal charges, the fourth and current Democrat is an "unindicted co-conspirator." Keep voting Democrat!
Blogger Matt Connolly in 2015
Blogger Matt Connolly in 2015 wrote more than a dozen posts on Flaherty and the Feds, including a ten-part series about what the Feds are up to. Here is one post from May 2015:
http://mattofboston.com/why-did-ortiz-target-attorney-flaherty-78799/
Is there some part
Is there some part of "pleaded guilty" that you're having trouble understanding? Flaherty admitted to the crime. That sort of blows your "respectable guy" claim out of the water.
Next Stop
Next stop for Timothy will likely be our State Legislature.He has after all demonstrated that he's willing to cut corners and violate laws. I'm pretty sure those are two of the prerequisites for holding office here.
And the beat goes on....