💰 Ex Lawyer Convicted for “Old School Bribery Scheme” Involving Pot Shop in Medford

A federal jury in Boston has convicted former attorney Sean O’Donovan, 56, of honest-services wire fraud and bribery.

The charges stem from O’Donovan offering the Medford police chief a $25,000 bribe to secure approval of a marijuana retail store for the former attorney’s client.

According to a press release by the U.S. District Attorney’s Office,

O’Donovan paid a bribe to influence the Medford Police Chief in connection with O’Donovan’s client’s recreational marijuana business. In February 2021, O’Donovan approached Individual 1, a relative of the Chief, and offered to pay Individual 1 $25,000 to speak with the Chief about his client’s anticipated application to sell recreational marijuana in Medford. At the time, the Chief had recently been appointed to serve on a committee to rank such applications on behalf of Medford’s mayor, who would ultimately select three applicants to open retail marijuana stores in Medford. After Individual 1 informed the Chief of O’Donovan’s corrupt offer, the Chief immediately alerted federal authorities. 

O’Donovan’s client was unaware of the illicit offer. Had the client won permission to open a pot shop in Medford, ex-attorney O’Donovan would have received an annual payment of at $100,000.

Sentencing is scheduled for February 7, 2024. The federal guidelines provide that O’Donovan could get up to 20 years in prison for his crimes.