BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The jury trial of Former Fall River mayor Jasiel Correia is formally set to begin on Tuesday.
The trial has been delayed for a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Correia was indicted on federal bribery, extortion, and fraud charges in September of 2019.
Prosecutors said Correia extorted money from recreational marijuana businesses looking to open up shop in the city, committed a kickback scheme with his Chief of Staff, and collected other bribes.
These charges are on top of the former mayor's wire fraud and tax fraud charges stemming from an incident from his startup app SnoOwl. Federal prosecutors said Correia defrauded investors in the app.
The judge in the case, Judge Douglas Woodlock, said strict COVID-19 protocols during the trial would make it look a little different than usual, with the jurors spread out in the place that the attorneys usually sit, and the lawyers back in the gallery.
"There is Plexiglas everywhere there can be Plexiglas," said the judge. Only about two dozen people will be allowed in the courtroom.
WBZ's Karyn Regal (@Karynregal) reports:
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