Case Against Walsh Aides Dismissed

By Allison Payne 4/2/2018

Two City Hall officials have been cleared of federal charges after a two-year legal battle. Judge Leo Sorokin dismissed the case on Thursday, just days before the trial was scheduled to begin. Judge Sorokin ruled that the prosecutors’ evidence did not meet the legal standard for conviction. 

Courtesy of Creative Commons

Kenneth Brissette and Timothy Sullivan faced charges of pressuring the organizers of the 2014 Boston Calling music festival into hiring unnecessary union workers. Judge Sorokin earlier this month said a guilty verdict could only occur if prosecutors could prove that Brissette and Sullivan received money or property in exchange for securing those union jobs. 

The judge said his decision to dismiss, “spares the parties, the public, and the Court the time, burden, and expense of a trial.”

Brissette, head of tourism for Boston, and Sullivan, Walsh’s chief of staff for intergovernmental affairs, were each facing up to 20 years in prison. According to Mayor Walsh, they are both “relieved.” 

“I’m glad the matter is resolved,” Mayor Walsh said. “There was a case, everyone followed, you get a chance to see what evidence was put in place. I’m just grateful this was resolved.”