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A Massachusetts mayor who was first elected at age 23 was charged Thursday with using investments in a company he formed as his "own personal ATM'' to enjoy casinos and adult entertainment, buy a Mercedes, and pay down student loan debt. Jasiel Correia, the mayor of Fall River, collected more than $360,000 from investors to develop an app that was supposed to help businesses connect with consumers, federal authorities say. Instead, he spent more than $230,000 of the investor funds to bankroll a lavish lifestyle and advance his political career, officials say. Correia faces nine counts of wire fraud and...

FALL RIVER, Mass. — Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia II was arrested early Friday morning at his home in the city. Correia, 27, was charged in a superseding indictment with bribery; extortion conspiracy; extortion and aiding and abetting; wire fraud; and filing false tax returns. He is accused of conspiring to extort hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from marijuana companies. In federal court Friday afternoon, Correia entered a plea of not guilty and was released on $250,000 bond. He will be required to pay $25,000 of that amount by the end of the day Tuesday. Genoveva Andrade, Correia's...

A Democrat mayor from Massachusetts was arrested on Thursday after a federal investigation found that he allegedly stole over $230,000 from investors and spent the money on himself. Mayor of Fall River Jasiel Correia, who was elected mayor at just 23 years old, used the investment money to fund his own lavish lifestyle and pay off his student debts.

A Massachusetts mayor was arrested on Friday for allegedly extorting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from marijuana vendors. Mayor Jasiel Correia, the Democrat mayor of Fall River, allegedly operated a scheme to help marijuana stores conduct business in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, according to a tweet from the FBIÂ’s Boston field office. Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia was arrested this morning by @FBIBoston IRS-CI & @HUDOIG special agents at his home. HeÂ’s accused of conspiring to extort hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from marijuana companies. Details to follow at 11 a.m....

An embattled Democratic mayor from Massachusetts, who was arrested last week on suspicion of fraud and tax charges, is refusing to step down, calling his arrest "politically motivated" hours before city councilors pushed back a debate on how to handle the matter. "I am presumed innocent until proven otherwise," Mayor Jasiel Correia told reporters at a press conference at Fall River's City Hall. "I will not allow political enemies to remove me from office." He said the attack began shortly after assuming office because he was "challenging the norms" in the town.

Massachusetts mayor arrested for extorting marijuana vendors for 6-figure bribes Jasiel Correia II, the already embattled mayor of Fall River, Massachusetts, was arrested Friday on new federal extortion charges for allegedly operating a scheme to help marijuana vendors get approval to operate in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. Prosecutors say Correia agreed to sign non-opposition letters in return for significant six-figure payments from four marijuana vendors looking to open businesses in the city of nearly 90,000 about an hour’s drive south of Boston. The letters are required to obtain a license to operate a marijuana business...