Boston Criminal Lawyers Blog

Paul Galzerano, 58, of Groveland, Massachusetts, was arraigned today in Essex County Superior Court in Salem on 3 counts of Bribery and 4 counts of Larceny Over $250 for allegedly defrauding Beverly Hospital of almost $500,000.

The Essex Count District Attorney's Office alleges that between 2003 and 2006, Galzerano was responsible for overseeing a multimillion dollar renovation at Beverly Hospital and during that time, he repeatedly orchestrated kickbacks from certain contractors. Galzerano and contractor Brian Lemay, 53 of Andover, are accused of inflating the price of proposals; Lemay would accept the work for excessive funds, and then kickback money to Galzerano in the form of payments to Galzerano's personal credit cards and his home mortgage. Galzerano is additionally alleged to be responsible for the theft of numerous antiques and paintings from Beverly Hospital.

The contractors charged in connection with this Bribery scheme include Brian Lemay of Andover and Alfred Cunsolo of Methuen, both charged with Larceny; as well as John Kane of Hanover, also to be charged with Bribery.

Continue reading "Former VP at Beverly Hospital Charged in $500,000 Bribery Scheme" »

Two siblings, Jorge Morales, 37, and Mary Lozada, 34, both of Lynn, Massachusetts, are under investigation by the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office for a fake Extortion scheme by targeting persons and telling them their family members had been kidnapped and were going to be killed.

The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office reports that at least 30 phone calls were made to the extortion targets, but does not believe that any Kidnapping actually occurred. At least two parents are known to have fallen for the fake extortion threats, a mother in Jamaica Plain and a father in Dorchester.

Jorge Morales is already scheduled to be in Lynn District Court tomorrow for a dangerousness hearing. He was arrested last week on outstanding warrants by the Lynn Police Department for various charges, including Extortion and Larceny. He has also been charged with Assault with Intent to Murder for allegedly threatening to stab his probation officer with a syringe he claimed was filled with HIV-tainted blood.

Mary Lozada, however, has already been charged in the Roxbury Division of the Boston Municipal Court with Extortion by Threat of Injury and Conspiracy to Commit Larceny for allegedly collecting ransom money after Morales made the calls.

Continue reading "Suffolk County District Attorney Investigates Lynn Siblings in Extortion Scheme" »

Yaowan Lu, of Dorchester, was charged with stealing memorabilia worth over $900 from the JFK Presidential Library in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Lu was charged with the Theft Crime of Larceny Over $250.

The criminal offense of Larceny Over $250 is a felony in Massachusetts, which carries a potential penalty of up to 5 years in state prison and a fine of up to $25,000, or imprisonment in the House of Corrections for up to 2 years.

Continue reading "Dorchester Woman Arrested for Theft of JFK Memorabilia" »

Mark J. McMullen of Quincy, Massachusetts, was arrested on March 17 for stealing two cigarette cartons from a Mobil gas station near the South Shore Plaza in Braintree. The store clerk told police that the man, later identified as McMullen, requested to buy the two cartons and after he retrieved them, he snatched them out of his hands and ran out of the store.

The clerk was able to write down the registration number of the car, and also produced the surveillance videos from the store which captured the larceny. The Braintree Police Department had been investigating several other Theft Crimes in Braintree, Quincy and Boston by a suspect driving a dark-colored vehicle with CT registration. The police suspect that McMullen may be responsible for those other robberies as well.

McMullen is also a criminal suspect in another Theft Crime that happened on March 16, also in Braintree, Massachusetts. In that robbery, a man went to Cumberland Farms in Braintree and also took off with two cartons of cigarettes as well. That criminal suspect is also reported to have fled in a dark-colored vehicle with CT registration.

Continue reading "Quincy Man Arrested for Braintree Robbery" »

In an elaborate cyber crime, a website advertising a fake bridal show to be held in Boston at the Hynes Convention Center this coming weekend scammed thousands of brides and vendors of several thousand dollars. The website, The Boston 411, targeted people and vendors through popular bridal event websites and common social media sites such as Facebook.

The internet bridal scam was not discovered until recently when vendors started calling the Convention Center in Boston asking when they could start setting up their booths. It wasn't until that time that the police were contacted and Hynes Convention Center officials confirming that no bridal event had even been scheduled.

The Associated Press reports that approximately 6,000 people and vendors signed up for the non-existent show. Potential attendees prepaid a registration fee of up to $15, and vendors losing several thousand dollars, some up to $4,000, for reserving floor space and producing advertising materials for the event. The internet scammers reportedly secured payments for their fraudulent crime-scheme by demanding online payments through PayPal or similar online money transfer services.

Continue reading "Bogus Bridal Show Scams Thousands " »

The Quincy Patriot Ledger reports that a 42 year old Roxbury woman will be arraigned today in Quincy District Court for stealing over $450 in clothing from Lord & Taylor at the South Shore Mall in Braintree, Massachusetts.

Maria Tavares, of Roxbury, Massachusetts, allegedly attempted to conceal a dress, jeans and other clothing at the Lord & Taylor store without paying before leaving. She will be charged with Larceny Over $250 in Quincy District Court.

Under Massachusetts law, stealing is defined as the wrongful taking of the personal property of another with the intent to deprive that person of such property permanently. The 'taking and carrying away' of the property is accomplished by the physical transfer of the property from the other person's control to his/her own, without regard if the transfer involved only slight movement, or if it lasted only for a short time.

Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 266, Section 30, is the criminal statute which governs Larceny by Stealing, which provides for a maximum penalty of up to 5 years in state prison or up to 2.5 years in the House of Corrections, along with a fine of up to $25,000.

Continue reading "Roxbury Woman Arrested for Stealing from Braintree's Lord & Taylor" »