Posted on 06/06/2005 9:31:28 PM PDT by SmithL
BOSTON - Former Massachusetts House Speaker Thomas Finneran was indicted Monday on federal charges of lying under oath about his role in the redrawing of the state's legislative districts.
Finneran, 55, was charged with perjury and obstruction of justice and could be sent to prison and lose his license to practice law if convicted.
"My response to the charges brought against me today is NOT GUILTY. My family and I look forward to my day in court," the Boston Democrat said in a statement.
Finneran, who resigned last September to head the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, was widely considered the state's most powerful politician during his eight years as speaker.
The former lawmaker was accused of lying when he testified in 2003 before a federal appeals court in a lawsuit brought by minority groups. The minority groups claimed that a new legislative map would hurt black and Hispanic candidates and protect Finneran and other incumbents.
Finneran told the three-judge panel he had no role in drafting the map beyond appointing members of a redistricting committee. Ultimately, the court threw out the map and ordered a new one drawn, saying lawmakers sacrificed "racial fairness" to protect incumbents. It also said it found Finneran's testimony hard to believe.
"It is a severe breach of the public trust and serves to diminish confidence in government and undermine the integrity of our judicial process," U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan said in announcing the charges. "What's important is when someone raises his hand to tell the truth, he tells the truth."
Finneran was charged with three counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. Each perjury count carries up to five years in prison, while the obstruction charge is punishable by up to 10.
Once dubbed "King Tom" for pushing through a rules change that removed term limits for House speakers, Finneran served as head of the 160-member House from 1996 to 2004. He ruled with an iron fist, keeping tight control over what legislation was allowed to reach the floor and isolating lawmakers who opposed him.
In a statement, Finneran said: "Twenty-six years of unblemished public service and unquestioned integrity speaks volumes. So do the calls, cards and comments from state and federal prosecutors, past and present, judges, attorneys, business leaders and citizens of all stripes regarding the questionable motives and machinations of the U.S. Attorney's office."
His attorney, Richard Egbert, has said the lawmaker never denied being involved in the redistricting process.
Under state law and the House's own rules, Finneran was free to take part in the redistricting process, which made his denial even more baffling to some.
When the appeals judges asked him if he knew what was going to be in the plan before it became public, he said, "No, I did not." And when asked when he first saw the map, Finneran said: "It would have been after the committee on redistricting filed its plan with the House clerk."
Another Dem bites the dust..
He's in deep doo doo. Martha Stewart did a lot less.
Yet the local media barely talks about it. Surprise?
Hey! Wait a minute. Clinton was charged with the same thing and lost his law license, but he never spent a day in jail!
And Admiral Boorda committed SUICIDE for less.
isn't finn a southie guy? unless he cheers for the yankees
at fenway or the blueshirts at the gahhdens (oops
i mean't that arena at north station) he going to be
golden to his peeps.
Losing his retirement benefits would be a nice additional touch.
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