Attorney Accused of Offering Police Chief $25,000 to Open Recreational Marijuana Business

A Massachusetts attorney was indicted Friday on federal charges for trying to bribe the police chief with $25,000 for help opening a recreational marijuana dispensary in his town on behalf of an alleged client. 

Sean O'Donovan, 54, was arrested Friday and

in federal court to three counts against him.

But prosecutors are convinced they have enough evidence. 

The lawyer, according to the charging document, met for months with a "close relative" of the police chief of the city of Medford, located about seven miles northwest of Boston, to discuss his plan, which included different ways to disguise the payment of the bribe. 

"If I give you cash, there will be no trace," he reportedly said.

“The only problem for Mr. O'Donovan is that

,” Assistant US Attorney Joshua Levy said at a news conference on Friday.

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Massachusetts law indicates that recreational marijuana retail establishments must sign an agreement with cities to obtain a license. Steven Senne / AP

O'Donovan was released after pleading not guilty.

“He did not bribe a public official, he did not speak about bribing a public official, and the charges against him constitute an unprecedented extension of federal criminal law that we intend to vigorously challenge in the courtroom,” said his attorney, Martin Weinberg, to The Associated Press.

The attempt to bribe the police chief

According to the indictment, a company involved in the cultivation and retail sale of medical and recreational marijuana hired O'Donovan as a consultant to obtain a permit in Medford in late 2018. 

Massachusetts law indicates that recreational marijuana retail establishments must sign an agreement with cities to obtain an operating license.

In 2020, a committee, made up of five Medford officials, including the Chief of Police, was created with the task of reviewing, interviewing, and ranking applicants.

Then the mayor decides who gets the license. 

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The client was not aware of O'Donovan's efforts, the Justice Department said in a news release issued Friday.

To earn $100,000 a year

In February 2021, the attorney, who is from the neighboring city of Somerville, allegedly offered the police chief's relative, identified in court documents as "Individual 1," the $25,000 to help him get the go-ahead from the mayor.

Upon learning of the proposal, the police chief immediately alerted federal authorities, the indictment says. 

He expected, investigators say, to make a profit of $100,000 a year from the recreational marijuana business.

Prosecutors say that over the next several months, O'Donovan met with the relative to discuss the scheme, and that each time the FBI was listening to him.

His strategy included some disguising measures to conceal the true purpose of the bribe payment.

For example, O'Donovan allegedly proposed to falsely characterize a payment as a loan to Individual 1 and offered to pay the bribe money in cash.

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It is further alleged that O'Donovan rejected the idea of ​​a contract with Individual 1, explaining that he did not "think it was a good paper trail."

In October, they met again, and the attorney allegedly gave him $2,000 in cash as a down payment on the bribe.

His client would never have accepted that deal.

Up to 20 years in prison

He faces a wire service fraud charge that carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

The second charge against him, bribery of federal programs, contemplates a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, and the same amount for the fine.

“This case is about an attempted corruption of government officials.

I commend the Medford Police Chief for immediately reporting this illegal behavior to the FBI,” US Attorney Rachael S. Rollins said in releasing the indictment.