Massachusetts lawmaker facing federal charges in fraud and cover-up scheme (2025)

A Massachusetts lawmaker is facing federal charges for allegedly orchestrating a scheme that defrauded a local trade association of tens of thousands of dollars, which he used to fund personal and political expenses.

Christopher Flanagan, 37, of Dennis, was indicted on five counts of wire fraud and one count of falsification of records, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. He was arrested Friday morning and is appeared in federal court in Boston on Friday afternoon, pleading not guilty to all six charges. He is being released with conditions and is scheduled to return to court for a status conference on May 22.

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Greg Henning, Flanagan's attorney, said after the court hearing that his client is looking forward to getting back to seeing his wife and three children, and to recuperate, as he just had heart surgery last week.

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U.S. Attorney Leah Foley called the charges against Flanagan "an appalling breach of public trust."

According to the indictment, Flanagan defrauded the organization he worked for – allegedly funneling $36,000 into his own pockets to pay off personal bills, buy luxury items and bankroll his political campaign.

"He allegedly stole money and then went to extraordinary lengths to cover it up, going so far as fabricating fake personas to mislead those who questioned his conduct. This alleged scheme was calculated on every level,” Foley added. “No one is entitled to power by way of fraud, and the people of Massachusetts deserve better.”

Flanagan, a Democrat, is the current Massachusetts state representative for the First Barnstable District, which includes the towns of Dennis, Yarmouth and Brewster on Cape Cod. He was elected to his first 2-year term in 2022, and before that served two 3-year terms as a member of the Dennis Select Board.

He was paid a salary of $97,546 by the state in 2023 and $100,945 in 2024 for his work as a state lawmaker.

From early 2019 until mid-2024, Flanagan also served as the executive officer of the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Cape Cod, a 300-plus member professional trade association representing the local building industry. As executive officer, he reported to a board of directors and had signatory authority over the association's bank accounts. He received an annual salary and benefits ranging from $65,800 to $81,600 in his role as executive officer.

First Barnstable District State Rep. Christopher Flanagan allegedly used the stolen funds to fund personal and political expenses, including a psychic, an electric dryer and air conditioner and men's clothing.Follow NBC10 Boston:https://instagram.com/nbc10bostonhttps://tiktok.com/@nbc10bostonhttps://facebook.com/NBC10Bostonhttps://twitter.com/NBC10Bostonhttps://bsky.app/profile/nbcboston.com

Federal prosecutors allege that beginning in October of 2021, Flanagan was facing personal financial difficulty, with thousands of dollars in outstanding credit card debt, missing mortgage payments and hundreds of dollars in bank overdraft fees. According to the indictment, between November 2021 and January 2023, he stole $36,000 from the home builders association's bank account via wire transfers.

He allegedly used the majority of the stolen money to pay personal mortgage bills, pay down thousands of dollars in credit card debt and for other personal expenditures. In one instance, in January of 2023, prosecutors say he stole $10,000 from the home builders association to fund his campaign for state representative. He also stole hundreds of dollars via direct debit transactions from the association's bank account funds to pay for personal psychic services in July 2022.

Flanagan is also accused of attempting to conceal the stolen funds from the home builders association's board by logging into its accounting software using another employee's account, entering backdated transactions to account for the stolen money and entering false transaction codes like "office supplies," "travel" or "bank charges" for the withdrawals.

He allegedly told the board that he withdrew funds to reimburse himself for association-related expenses that he had paid for using his own money. When the board asked for proof, prosecutors say he provided fake expense reports.

On the first expense report, Flanagan claimed he had spent $159.36 on “Technology Expenses” at Best Buy on March 4, 2022 and $537.26 on “Office Supplies” at 4Imprint on April 18, 2022. But prosecutors say records of the actual purchases showed that the Best Buy purchase was for a portable Bluetooth speaker and that the 4Imprint purchase was for T-shirts supporting his state representative campaign.

In the second expense report, prosecutors say he claimed to have spent a total of $3,784.84 on “Office Supplies.” Records of the actual purchases, however, showed that $2,118.10 of this amount was actually used for Flanagan’s personal expenses. Specifically that $613.70 and $361.24 Best Buy purchases were for an electric dryer and an air conditioner delivered to Flanagan’s home; a $1,050.30 Macy’s purchase was for men’s ties, dress shirts, slacks and sports coats; and a $92.86 purchase at Target was for children’s clothes and toys.

According to the indictment, in December 2022, the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance opened an investigation regarding a campaign mailer that was distributed during Flanagan’s 2022 campaign for state representative, supposedly by a group called “Conservatives for Dennis.”

Flanagan is accused of obstructing that investigation by saying the source of the mailer was a fake person he created named Jeanne Louise, who he claimed was a member of an independent conservative group that had endorsed him. He later revealed that Jeanne Louise was not a real person and that he was the source of the mailer.

Further investigation by the campaign finance office revealed that Flanagan could not have issued the $10,000 campaign check to pay for the mailers without the theft of funds from the home builders association.

The charges of wire fraud each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of falsification of records provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

April Ducott, president of the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Cape Cod, issued the following statement on Friday:

“The Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Cape Cod is grateful for the diligence of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts for their investigation into a former employee. As this matter is proceeding to trial, we cannot comment any further, except to say the Association trusts the justice system to deliver a fair result.”

House Minority Leader Bradley Jones released a statement Friday calling on Flanagan to resign.

“Representative Flanagan’s arrest is disturbing but not surprising," he said. "We have known for several months about the ongoing investigation into these serious charges of misappropriating funds, but now that a court case is moving forward, it is clear what must be done. Representative Flanagan has betrayed his oath of office, and I am urging him to do the right thing for his constituents by resigning immediately."

Jones said if Flanagan won't resign, House Speaker Ronald Mariano "should immediately authorize and direct the House Ethics Committee to begin proceedings in this matter," as he had previously requested in January.

The Massachusetts Republican Party also called on Flanagan to resign.

Mariano issued a statement later Friday morning calling the charges against Flanagan "extraordinarily concerning," adding that they undermine public trust in the Legislature. But he stopped short of calling on Flanagan to resign, saying that "every American is entitled to due process."

"The House will continue to monitor the legal process as it plays out, and will take the appropriate steps if necessary to ensure accountability," he said.