Dec 18, 2008 6:33 pm US/Eastern
DiMasi's Friend Indicted On Lobbying Violations
BOSTON (AP) ―
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Sal DiMasi (file image)
CBS
A close friend of
House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi was accused Thursday of concealing his work as a lobbyist and having direct contact with the speaker while pushing a bill on behalf of ticket brokers -- the first formal charges to follow allegations DiMasi has been helping friends with public policy.
Contradicting statements made both by DiMasi and his former accountant,
Richard Vitale, Attorney General Martha Coakley said Vitale was paid $60,000 in lobbying fees by ticket brokers interested in changing the state's scalping laws. She said Vitale also communicated directly with the speaker and his top lieutenant, Speaker Pro Tempore Thomas Petrolati, before the bill passed the House last year.
While the bill did not pass the Senate and will expire early next month, Coakley said alleged efforts around it -- including clandestine meetings, messages sent by courier and Vitale's use of DiMasi's private e-mail address -- corrupted the legislative process.
"Failure to comply with the lobbying laws can result in a corruption of the system, both to the detriment of the public as well as those who are operating in good faith as members of the Legislature," Coakley said at a news conference hours after a Suffolk County grand jury returned a 10-count indictment against Vitale and a one-person firm he established.
"Particularly in this state, where we don't require a Legislature to follow the Open Meeting Law or be subject to public requests of information, ... it is particularly important that the public and the members of the Legislature understand who is attempting to conduct business before them and who is compensating them and in what manner are they being compensated," the attorney general added.
The indictment pertained only to Vitale, and not DiMasi and Petrolati. The speaker has said he never spoke to Vitale about the bill.
DIMASI'S STATEMENT
Dimasi released the following statement Thursday evening.
"All of my decisions are based solely on what is in the best interests of my
constituents and the Commonwealth and, in this case, the House of
Representatives passed ticket legislation that protects consumers. I have
addressed all of these issues repeatedly in the past.
"The House of Representatives has many important matters before us heading into the new session and we cannot be distracted from the work ahead. I intend to stay focused on working with my colleagues in the House to address the ongoing budget crisis, solving our significant transportation problems and continuing to do all we can to make Massachusetts a better place to live, work and raise a family.
"Considering the allegations made today by the grand jury against Richard Vitale, it is inappropriate for me to comment further."
VITALE DENIES ACCUSATIONS
Vitale has denied acting as a lobbyist, and his attorney said the work he did for the ticket brokers was exempt from the state's lobbying registration requirements.
Those requirements say a person does not have to register if he performs less than 50 hours of work or receives less than $5,000 from a client. Under those circumstances, a person could earn $60,000 if he worked fewer than 50 hours or vice versa and not be considered a lobbyist.
"The legal standards for registration as a lobbyist have clear exceptions, and we will compellingly demonstrate that Mr. Vitale fits within one of those exceptions and therefore was not compelled to register as a lobbyist," said Vitale's attorney, Martin Weinberg.
Vitale's indictment was announced as he presided over a ceremony in which departing House members delivered their farewell addresses to the chamber.
The indictment came a day after The Boston Globe reported a federal grand jury is also investigating the state's awarding of a multimillion-dollar computer software contract to a Burlington firm that made payments -- sometimes undisclosed -- to friends of DiMasi.
The Patrick administration ended up canceling the $13 million contract with Cognos ULC.
DiMasi also has denied wrongdoing in that case, but the set of allegations and steady stream of stories about them have created political problems for the speaker. Two of his lieutenants, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Robert DeLeo and House Majority Leader John Rogers, have been openly competing for support to succeed DiMasi should he step down.
The speaker has said he plans to seek re-election to his top House post next month, but the 160 members must approve him -- a potentially tough vote amid the investigations and talk of indictments.
DiMasi has worked to project a business-as-usual attitude. Earlier this week, he toured damage from an ice storm to the north and west of Boston, and Wednesday he sat at the center of an economics roundtable discussion convened by Gov. Deval Patrick.
Nonetheless, DiMasi did repay an unusual $250,000 third mortgage he received from Vitale on his North End condominium after the loan was disclosed by the Globe.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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