Appeals Court Weighs In On Case Involving Ex-Mayor Elected At Age 23

Facing Federal Charges, Fall River Mayor Steps Aside

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A federal appeals court has upheld the convictions of a former Massachusetts mayor who was elected at the age of 23.

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Former rejected challenges made by former Fall River Mayor Jasiel Corriea in relation to being found guilty of extortion and fraud in 2021, the Associated Press reports.

The court upheld that Corriea, now 30, was "fairly tried and lawfully convicted by an impartial jury" on Monday (November 28).

Correia, a Democrat who became the youngest person to be elected mayor of Fall River in 2015, was found guilty by a Boston federal court in 2021 in relation to accusations that he defrauded investors in his smartphone app and sought bribes of hundreds of thousands of dollars from marijuana vendors who intended to launch business operations in the city.

The Boston judge later dismissed additional wire fraud and false tax returns to the conviction, which Corriea's defense team argued prosecutors failed to prove.

The 30-year-old remains convicted of multiple counts of fraud, extortion conspiracy and extortion and began serving a six-year prison sentence in April, according to the AP.

Correia's attorneys accused prosecutors of conducting an "unfair smear campaign in the courtroom" and referred to evidence used against the former mayor as "remarkably shallow" in their appeal, while Correia continued to maintain his innocence in relation to the accusations.


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