FILE — In this Sept. 6, 2019 file photo, Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia speaks to reporters outside the federal courthouse in Boston, following his appearance on bribery, extortion and fraud charges. Correia heads to trial in federal court in April 2021 on charges that he stole more than $230,000 from investors in a smartphone app he created to pay for things like a Mercedes, casino trips and adult entertainment. As mayor, he’s accused of convincing his chief of staff to give him half of her salary in order to keep her city job and extorting hundreds of thousands of dollars from marijuana businesses seeking to operate there.
A former Massachusetts mayor convicted of corruption charges is set to report to prison after a court rejected his request for a delay.
Former Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia II will report to a federal medium security prison in New Hampshire on Friday to begin a six-year sentence after a federal appellate court refused his request for a delay on Wednesday. Correia’s date of imprisonment had already been put off several times.
The former mayor was convicted last year of 21 counts for defrauding investors in a smartphone app and for extorting money from marijuana companies. A judge ultimately dismissed 10 charges, leaving 11 convictions to stand.
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Correia’s attorneys had argued he should be allowed to stay out of prison pending his appeal.
An message left with Correia’s attorneys was not immediately returned Wednesday.
Correia, first elected at age 23, was seen as a rising political star until his arrest. He has maintained his innocence.
