In a recent trial, a former attorney, Sean O'Donovan, was found guilty by a federal jury for engaging in a bribery scheme to secure approval for a client's recreational marijuana business. The scheme involved bribing the chief of police of Medford, Massachusetts. O'Donovan, 56, of Somerville, Massachusetts, now faces severe penalties, including potential prison time.

Court documents and evidence presented during the trial revealed that O'Donovan paid a bribe to influence the Medford police chief in connection with his client's application to sell recreational marijuana. The attorney approached Individual 1, a close relative of the chief, in February 2021, offering a sum of $25,000 for a conversation with the chief about the client's anticipated application. The chief, recently appointed to rank such applications, immediately alerted federal authorities upon discovering the corrupt offer.

During the investigation, it became apparent that O'Donovan believed he had an agreement with Individual 1 and the chief. He offered to pay Individual 1 approximately $25,000 in exchange for the chief's favorable actions on his client's application. O'Donovan sought to have the chief favorably rank the application and exerted pressure on the mayor to select his client as the one to open a retail marijuana store in Medford. Unbeknownst to his client, O'Donovan had orchestrated this bribery scheme.

The jury convicted O'Donovan on two counts of honest services wire fraud and one count of bribery, as the programs receiving federal funds were involved. The former attorney is scheduled to be sentenced on February 7, 2024. If given the maximum penalties for each count, O'Donovan could face up to 20 years in prison for each honest services wire fraud count and up to 10 years in prison for the bribery count. The final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge after considering relevant guidelines and statutory factors.

The announcement was made by Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, along with Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy for the District of Massachusetts and Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division. The FBI conducted the investigation.

Trial Attorney Jonathan E. Jacobson of the Criminal Division's Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristina E. Barclay for the District of Massachusetts are prosecuting the case.

This conviction serves as a reminder of the severe consequences that await those who engage in corrupt practices, especially when involving public officials. The justice system remains committed to upholding the integrity of governing processes and ensuring that impartiality prevails.

The Office of Public Affairs of the U.S. Department of Justice announced the verdict. Further inquiries regarding government services can be directed to the Department of Justice's main switchboard.