![]() ![]() ![]() As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dismissed the other counts in the indictment relating to extortion and conspiracy to obstruct gambling laws. LaMonica pleaded guilty in 1995 to six counts of filing false tax returns. However, despite the conviction, Winthrop's retirement system paid LaMonica his pension for more than two decades, determining at the time that his criminal conduct wasn't linked with his duties as police chief. Under state law, public employees who are convicted of crimes related to their job risk losing their retirement benefits. LaMonica eventually entered a guilty plea in the case, spent 14 months in prison, and paid a $20,000 fine. Before long, federal prosecutors accused the town's former top cop of taking cash bribes to look the other way and ignore illegal gambling at local establishments. LaMonica abruptly retired in 1995 amid rumors he was the focus of an FBI probe. "There is no more egregious crime that could be committed by a public official, particularly a police chief." "We certainly are going to argue that the punishment does fit the crime," Sacco said. However, recouping those taxpayer-funded benefits - paid out for 25 years - will present more hurdles.Ī lower court must still decide whether the sanction in LaMonica's case is an excessive punishment, in violation of the state and federal constitutions. ![]() Michael Sacco, a lawyer for the retirement board, said it will immediately terminate LaMonica's monthly distribution checks and move to claw back pension benefits LaMonica has already received. "We're reviewing the decision and we're trying to figure out what, if any, next step to take," he told the NBC10 Boston Investigators Thursday. LaMonica's lawyer, Nick Poser, called the decision "a great surprise and disappointing." Prison to Pension: Should Convicted Police Chief Keep $1M in Benefits?īut the Appeals Court disagreed, finding court records from the time establish a direct link between money LaMonica received from an illegal video poker machine operator and his position as police chief. ![]()
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