By William Tauro
A complaint was sought and evidence presented this past week with the Boston Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Anti-Corruption Unit, asking the Bureau to pursue charges against Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone with allegations accusing the six term mayor of racketeering and extortion.
The multiple allegations against the Mayor are stemming back to several stalled development deals within the City of Somerville – accusing the Mayor of “shaking down” property owners, forcing/extorting property owners to use his own connected (favored) developers, racketeering, and tampering with an MBTA property bidding process, while depriving a Somerville (bowling alley) property owner of his rights.
In the case of the bowling alley, the Mayor and a local real estate developer are named as approaching and allegedly attempting to deprive the property owner of his rights with respect to his fifty-year old bowling alley business/property and attempting to bypass a state mandated bidding process, then allegedly trying to bribe the property owner to vacate the property by offering him a 2% limited partnership share in the real estate development involving a predated paperwork-packet of the $70 million dollar, pre-bid, multiple-unit real estate development deal.
Allegations were also were made that Mayor Curtatone deliberately closed a highway off-ramp of McGrath Highway to deprive local businesses of potential automobile traffic in an attempt to starve them of business after an alleged failed attempt to buy out and take over the business owner’s properties.
Additional allegations were were also made and charges being sought against a high-ranking DPW Administrator and two Somerville affiliates of another local news publication, who allegedly conspired with Mayor Curtatone. Along with multiple allegations of witness intimidation and extortion by attempting to slander the Somerville News Weekly and it’s publishers/contributors at the request of the Mayor – most likely attempting to discredit them and stop them from publicizing any bad press and exposing damaging information regarding scandals by Mayor Curtatone and his Administration over the past three years, especially during this current election campaign cycle.
The unnamed DPW Administrator, along with the local affiliates of the other news publication including that paper’s publisher, are being accused of allegedly using fictitious social media aliases over the past two years in order to carry out the plan ordered by the Mayor. Coupled with an online assault on social media platforms, various slanderous accusations were published by the two affiliates in their newspaper to further broadcast harassment and fabricated propaganda to intimidate the Somerville News Weekly publisher in exchange for being later compensated by the Mayor with exclusive real estate broker listings to the previously mentioned development deals, as well as the majority of the City of Somerville’s lucrative legal ads for their newspaper – all at the taxpayers expense.
The allegations are being brought forward by a group of property owners, along with another newspaper publisher this past Friday in Boston.
The allegations go on to accuse Mayor Curtatone and the DPW Administrator of attempting to sway multiple real estate deals with abuse of power via an elaborate real estate scheme that involves racketeering and extortion of multi-million dollar land deals in Somerville.
These allegations also involve a former Somerville alderman/local attorney, as well as two current Ward Aldermen.
It all started back over two years ago with when the Somerville News Weekly first published and exposed the City of Somerville Department of Public Works with a story regarding an article written about an “ALLEGED SOMERVILLE DPW OVERTIME SCANDAL” that lead up to a six part story series on multiple Somerville stalled developments and corruption within the Curtatone Administration.
Even amongst all the overwhelming evidence presented in last years Somerville News Weekly “Alleged Somerville DPW Overtime Scandal” story, no arrests, no terminations, or reprimands have been ordered by the Curtatone Administration.
Mayor Curtatone is facing two opponents in this coming primary in September.
The Somerville News Weekly is urging Mayor Curtatone, his DPW Administrator and the two ward aldermen to step down amidst these allegations.
This story is still developing while the FBI’s Anti-Corruption and the FBI Online Forensic Unit conducts further investigations and seeks Federal warrants into this matter.
If you or anyone you know have fallen victim to this or any similar stalled development scandal deal please feel free to contact me at the Somerville News Weekly at Somervillenewsweekly@yahoo.com or 617-293-2016 and I will assist to guide you through the filing a complaint process. All calls will remain strictly confidential.
You can also contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation directly at (857)386-2000 and refer to this article to file your complaint.
Below are a list of prior articles referenced in these allegations)
Letter to the Editor: Re Alleged Somerville DPW Overtime Scandal
Concern Over Stalled Developments in Somerville:Where Are All Our Tax Base Dollars Going?
Somerville’s Stalled Developments/The Cash Cow “Show Me The Money” Part II
Stalled Developments/ Somerville’s Cash Cow Part III / The Plot Scheme Thickens
Stalled Developments PartV /Let’s Re-Open the McGrath Highway Offramp
Please arrest this coward
It hurts people can be like that.Took my job away from. Me. So sombody els could have it the union did nothing for me.
That hurt me.
About your Oct. 24 article about criminal charges against Mayor Curtatone and administration, which I read late: THANK GOODNESS WE HAVE A LOCAL NEWSPAPER!!! Thank you for reporting on this, and please stay on it. The charges, even if only 1/3 are true, are jaw-dropping. Kim
Put these Crooks in jail
Amazing, everyone has forgotten all the good the Mayor has done. He turned Somerville around for the better.
Maybe if we get rid of this do-nothing hack we can actually get our crumbling and appalling-condition streets paved? Here’s to hoping!
In other cities the city employees, managers and heads of departments do NOT have to kiss the Mayor’s butt. In other cities the Mayor kisses the butt of the city employees and has a duty to do so. If the Mayor doesn’t keep the employees happy then the city workers will support the new candidate and the current Mayor will lose his job. In other cities employees and managers can and do “Voice” the opinions without fear of retaliation from their current Mayor.
Why?
Because in other cities the city workers are hired and cannot lose their positions even if a new Mayor is elected. BUT in Somerville a newly elected Mayor can and will hire new folks for many city positions. The only position in the other cities is the Mayor’s assistant that can be terminated and replaced with a new incoming Mayor to avoid any animosity towards the new Mayor.
To keep it simple, the “Fear Factor” and “Intimidation Factor” from the Mayor of Somerville needs to be removed and that is assuring that all city employees, managers will keep their positions even if a new Mayor is elected. This will also remove the butt kissing and “dog and pony” shows that managers/employees have to display in front of the current Mayor in order to keep their job. Managers and employees will then be able to STOP “frosting the cake” even though they are disgruntled with the Mayor. They will be able to talk to the media and the press without fear of retaliation from the Mayor. They will also be able to “Voice” their opinions to the Mayor without “sugar coating” it.
Most other cities the Mayor will receive a “hand me down” old police cruiser as their city vehicle and without a chauffeur. Somerville needs to stop supplying a big luxury SUV with a chauffeur for the Mayor. In other cities there are no Mayor’s Thanksgiving dinners and extravagant firework displays. Those are “buy your vote” tactics the Mayor utilizes towards the residents. Those funds should be for pay raises for the employees, new equipment for the city departments and to help keep the tax rates down in Somerville.
It’s time for the Somerville city employees to realize they are living in the dark ages of politics that no longer exists in other cities. These scare tactics by the Mayor are antiquated in other cities.
That dim light that is slowly fading away in Somerville for the Mayor is his job and hopefully the new Mayor will not follow the same path. Hopefully the city workers will wake up and realize they are in control of the Mayor’s future and job. NOT vice versa !
Sincerely,
Mr.McLaughlin
Somerville resident and retired city employee/manager.
He’s a dirt-bag extraordinaire. His henchmen put the strong-arm on anyone who dares to go up against or question his tactics. He needs to cool his heals in MCI Cedar Junction for 15-20!
Curtatone is one of the dirtiest politician I’ve seen in my 30+ years in Somerville. Thank god someone finally did something to stop all his mafiso type behaviors.
This is just the tip of the iceberg on Curtatone-trust me on this. What will be coming out in the near future before the November election will shock you. Be patient because what goes around, comes around. The weather forecast for Curtatone and a few others is a terrible shit storm headed for City Hall!!
Get em
How about all the police officers that he railroaded off the Job? All the while he leaves his relative on the police department after getting caught red handed involved with OxyContin. He was ordered to take a drug test, he refused ( a termination offense), and then was “AWOL” WITH pay for over 18 months! Meanwhile, he fires an officer that was part of his groomsmen at his wedding because he took a handful of Halloween candy from the Communication Office, and under duress, denied taking it! So, good ol’ Joe, fired his old friend.
I understand that a couple of the officers fired and current have been taking singing lessons. I believe that their first recital will be at “FBI-Boston.” Stay tuned. I think they will be a hit group!
LOCK HIM UP AND HIS FAMILY
go you or the city have concrete proof of this? these are pretty strong charges..
Cannot hang him if he is hiding in Italy now.
Now I know why our taxes have increased with no increase in services. Corruption. Time for Joe to go.
Hang him by his balls the corrupt prick. He’s a womaniser too. That no good prick
My casino would probably be open by now if it wasn’t for the piece of shit
I hope the FBI hangs him by his balls after the comments about the firefighters!
He’s a fucking disgrace to the Italians that prick
Probably getting back at him for refusing to take the BLM sign down for city hall last year.
he is a real scumbag he tried to get money out of wynn resorts how gid that work out haha
They all did.
Joe Curtatone IS a Kwyame Patrick! I CAN’T WAIT to see Curtatone go down for this! Hopefully, he gets 28 yrs in Federal prison for the SAME CRIMES as Kwayme Patrick got!!!
FAKE NEWS
I’ve heard many stories how he used eminent domain to boot people out of their property way below market price just to resell to his real estate buddies and make a huge profit. I hope for his sake it isn’t true. Lets see if the FBI can make some sense.
It’s true
Once a scumbag always a scumbag…Him and his buddy Bonney .just hard to to say who is bigger one leaning to Curtabologna ..but not by much..
He’s always been a crook
Those are some pretty wild allegations. And asking a mayor to step down because you’re seeking a probe is ambitious. Good luck with that.