 A former Massachusetts House speaker accused of lying during his testimony in a voting rights lawsuit plans to plead guilty Friday to obstruction of justice, a person familiar with the agreement said Thursday. The lawsuit had claimed that a 2001 state law that redrew legislative district boundaries discriminated against minorities in Boston while protecting incumbents, including the now-former House speaker, Thomas Finneran.
| He will serve probation, pay a fine and agree not to seek political office for five years. Finneran, 56, has agreed to admit to some, but not all, of the allegations in the obstruction charge. |
Finneran's trial on perjury and obstruction of justice charges had been scheduled to begin Jan. 16. Under the plea deal, Finneran won't face prison time, and federal prosecutors will drop the three perjury counts, the person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. He will serve probation, pay a fine and agree not to seek political office for five years. Finneran, 56, has agreed to admit to some, but not all, of the allegations in the obstruction charge, which accuses him of obstructing justice by lying during the trial and in a deposition, according to the person, who asked not to be identified because the deal has not yet been finalized in court.
During his eight years as speaker, Finneran was considered the state's most powerful lawmaker. Known for his authoritarian style, he was once dubbed "King Tom" for pushing through a rules change that eliminated term limits for House speakers.| Hmmm. Looks like they left a word out... |
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