What to Know
- Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia has withdrawn his request to repay investors in his app company.
- Correia has pleaded not guilty to tax and wire fraud charges for allegedly defrauding investors in his SnowOwl app.
- The City Council voted unanimously in December in favor of a recall election if Correia did not resign, which he has refused to do.
A Massachusetts mayor facing federal charges and a recall election has withdrawn his request to repay investors in his app company.
Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia said in a motion last month that there was $306,000 available in escrow to pay the seven lenders.
Correia's attorney, Kevin Reddington, said in the motion to withdraw the request filed Tuesday that a federal prosecutor "remained unchanged" about allowing contact with the lenders.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling pushed back against the characterization of Correia's withdrawal, saying he failed to mention that they offered transferring the money to a court-controlled fund.
Lelling says Correia's actions show the motion was not made in "good faith."
Correia has pleaded not guilty to tax and wire fraud charges for allegedly defrauding investors in his SnowOwl app.
The Fall River City Council voted unanimously in December in favor of a recall election if Correia did not resign. He refused to do so.
The recall election is scheduled for March 12.
