State rep. from Cape Cod pleads not guilty to federal fraud charges

Massachusetts State Rep Christopher Flangan was arrested on criminal charges Friday morning in connection with an alleged fraud and cover-up scheme officers reported Flanagan of Dennis was indicted on five counts of wire fraud and one count of falsification of records for allegedly orchestrating a multi-faceted scheme that defrauded a local commerce association of tens of thousands of dollars used to fund personal and political expenses and falsifying record to conceal his alleged conduct according to U S Attorney Leah Foley s office Flanagan appeared in court Friday afternoon and pleaded not guilty to federal charges Prosecutors noted Flanagan stole up to over a -month span from roughly November to January At the time Flanagan served as executive director of the Home Builders Association The federal indictment shows thousands of dollars transferred in that time period from the Home Builders Association to Flanagan s Bank of America account and his PayPal account Federal prosecutors announced he used the money to pay off his personal credit card bills to fund his campaign for state representative and to pay for items for his home including an electric dryer and air conditioner as well on personal expenses like ties dress shirts children s toys and visits to a psychic The indictment also says over in stolen funds were used to print tee-shirts in advocacy of Flanagan s campaign for state representative When investigated by the Office of Campaign and Political Finance about the funding for a campaign flyer prosecutors say Flanagan lied attributing the source of a mailer to a false persona Jeanne Louise whom Flanagan created Investigators declared Flanagan also formed a group called Conservatives for Dennis and created an alias who claimed to be a member of an independent conservative group endorsing Flanagan s candidacy The purported group sent campaign mailers in an attempt to help elect Flanagan to office Governor Maura Healey called on Flanagan to resign These are serious charges against Representative Flanagan that threaten to undermine the pivotal work of the Legislature and cast doubt on his ability to faithfully serve his constituents Healey commented in a announcement He should resign In a announcement House Speaker Ronald Mariano mentioned he learned of the arrest through media reporting While every American is entitled to due process the charges that have been brought against Representative Flanagan are extraordinarily concerning and undermine society trust in the Legislature Mariano s declaration read The House will continue to monitor the legal process as it plays out and will take the appropriate actions if necessary to ensure accountability In convicted Flanagan faces up to years in prison on each of the charges He could also face tens of thousands of dollars in fines Mr Flanagan was published on no bond he is not in custody he s returning to go see his family his wife and his three children commented defense attorney Greg Henning He s been dealing with several critical vitality issues He had heart surgery last week so he s looking forward to getting back with his family and getting particular rest and recuperation The First Barnstable District includes Dennis Yarmouth and Brewster Flanagan is set to reappear in court in May