Massachusetts State Legislator Arrested and Charged in Suspected Fraud Scheme
Flanagan has been accused of misappropriating $36,000 from a trade organization in Cape Cod to cover personal expenses and campaign costs.
The charges include five counts of wire fraud along with one count of falsifying documents.
Flanagan, 37, a Democrat serving the First Barnstable District, was first elected to the Massachusetts House in 2022. He reportedly misused funds from the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Cape Cod (HBA), where he held the position of executive officer from 2019 until mid-2024.
According to prosecutors, between November 2021 and January 2023, Flanagan moved money from HBA accounts to pay off personal debts, including mortgage and credit card bills, as well as to finance his campaign for state representative in 2022.
In one instance, he is alleged to have allocated $10,000 from HBA funds to his campaign. Furthermore, he reportedly utilized association funds for personal purchases such as men’s clothing, an air conditioner, and psychic services.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley stated in a press release, “The charges against Massachusetts State Representative Christopher Flanagan represent a shocking violation of public trust. This alleged scheme was meticulously calculated at every level. Fraud is not the pathway to power, and the citizens of Massachusetts deserve much more.”
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The indictment reveals that Flanagan allegedly accessed the HBA’s accounting software using another employee’s credentials to retroactively alter transactions and misclassify expenses. He submitted false expense reports that inaccurately categorized T-shirts for his political campaign as office supplies.
The HBA is a professional association supporting the Cape Cod construction sector, consisting of over 300 members. Flanagan had signing authority on the association’s bank accounts and received an annual salary between $65,800 and $81,600 during his tenure, as per the DOJ press release.
As a state legislator, Flanagan’s annual compensation was approximately $97,546 for 2023 and $100,945 for 2024, according to the documents.
The indictment additionally noted that during an inquiry in 2022 by the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance concerning a campaign mailer, Flanagan invented a fake identity, “Jeanne Louise,” in an attempt to mislead investigators about the mailer’s source. He later acknowledged creating this false identity, as stated in the indictment.
Neither Flanagan nor his legal representative responded to inquiries regarding the charges prior to publication.
If found guilty, he could face up to 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count and falsification of records, as well as fines reaching $250,000 for each count.
