BOSTON – The former Assistant Director of Real Estate working for the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) was sentenced today in federal court in Boston in connection with accepting $50,000 in bribes.

John M. Lynch, 67, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patti B. Saris to 40 months in prison, one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution of $14,400 and to forfeit $50,000. The government recommended a sentence of 48 months in prison.

In September 2019, Lynch pleaded guilty to one count of bribery involving an organization receiving federal funds and one count of filing a false federal tax return.

“Mr. Lynch’s conduct illustrates the kind of pay-to-play scheme that, if left unchecked, destroys government institutions and the public’s faith in those institutions,” said United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling. “This office will aggressively prosecute any public official, regardless of party or position, whose greed leads them to breach the public trust and break federal law.”

“It may be difficult for anyone who went to John Lynch’s office seeking nothing more than a fair shake to understand why a public servant one day points his moral compass toward personal ruin knowing how much he will lose in order to gain so little. But public corruption cases aren’t built around employees who appreciate what they have,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Palm-greasing at any level undermines a community’s faith in their government. The FBI encourages anyone who encounters or suspects municipal malfeasance to report it, and to help us to hold those who violate taxpayers’ trust accountable.”

“While John Lynch should have been exercising his authority for the benefit of the City of Boston and its residents, he instead lined his own pockets with ill-gotten proceeds and further sought to defraud the Internal Revenue Service” said Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent In Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Boston Field Office. “Today’s sentencing should serve as a reminder to those who seek to violate the public’s trust that you will be held accountable for your actions.” 

In 2017, a Boston real estate developer sought to sell a parcel of residential real estate in Boston, but needed Boston Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) approval to extend a permit that would allow the property to be sold as a multi-unit development. In order to secure the permit extension, the developer agreed to pay $50,000 in bribes to Lynch, in return for Lynch using his influence at the BPDA to secure a vote from a ZBA member. In May 2017, the ZBA member voted to grant the permit extension, enabling the developer to sell the property at an additional half a million dollar profit that the developer otherwise would not have received. Per their agreement, the developer then paid Lynch $25,000 in cash and gave Lynch a $25,000 check, which Lynch used to pay a personal bill. Lynch then failed to report those and another $10,000 payment he had received from the real estate developer on this 2018 tax returns.

U.S. Attorney Lelling, FBI Boston SAC Bonavolonta and IRS-CI SAC O’Connell made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao of Lelling’s Public Corruption Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – The former Assistant Director of Real Estate working for the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston in connection with accepting $50,000 in bribes.

John M. Lynch, 66, pleaded guilty to one count of bribery involving an organization receiving federal funds and one count of filing a false federal tax return. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for Jan. 24, 2019. According to the terms of a plea agreement, the government will recommend a sentence of 46 to 57 months in prison, one year of supervised release, a fine and forfeiture.

“The residents of Boston deserve honesty and integrity from their public officials, whether elected or appointed,” said United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling. “Government is supposed to work on behalf of – for the benefit of – all citizens, and public officials, paid with taxpayer dollars, should be above reproach. John Lynch’s actions were an affront to these ideals.  This office will pursue and prosecute all public officials whose greed leads them to breach the public trust and break federal law.”

“John Lynch saw more value in lowering his ethical standards than raising the profile of Boston as a metropolitan mecca for economic growth and prosperity. Today, he finally accepted responsibility for his criminal conduct, admitting he accepted $50,000 in bribes to help a real estate developer secure a key vote from the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Putting one’s official position up for sale to help others cash in further erodes the public’s trust in their government and cheats them out of the honest services they deserve.”

“Public officials, whether elected or appointed, hold positions of trust in the eyes of the public. That trust is broken when they abuse their authority and commit crimes,” said Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Boston Field Office. “Mr. Lynch used his influence at the BPDA in exchange for a substantial bribe, then failed to report $60,000 on his tax return. As part of a steadfast law enforcement team, IRS will continue to hold financial fraudsters and tax evaders accountable.”  

In 2017, a Boston real estate developer sought to sell a parcel of residential real estate in Boston, but needed Boston Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) approval to extend a permit that would allow the property to be sold as a multi-unit development. In order to secure the permit extension, the developer agreed to pay $50,000 in bribes to Lynch, in return for Lynch using his influence at the BPDA to secure a vote from a ZBA member. In May 2017, the ZBA member voted to grant the permit extension, enabling the developer to sell the property at an additional half million dollar profit that the developer otherwise would not have received. Per their agreement, the developer then paid Lynch $25,000 in cash and gave Lynch a $25,000 check, which Lynch used to pay a personal bill. Lynch then failed to report those and another $10,000 payment he had received from the real estate developer on this 2018 tax returns.

The charge of bribery involving an organization receiving federal funds provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the offense, whichever is greater, and forfeiture. The charge of filing a false federal tax return provides for a sentence of up to three years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $100,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Lelling, FBI Boston SAC Bonavolonta, and IRS-CI SAC O’Connell made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao of Lelling’s Public Corruption Unit is prosecuting the case.

 

Boston, MA – John M. Lynch, 66, the former Assistant Director of Real Estate at the Economic Development Industrial Corporation (EDIC), a division of the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA), agreed to plead guilty today to accepting $50,000 in bribes from a Boston real estate developer in exchange for Lynch using his official influence to secure a key Boston Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) vote that favored the real estate developer on his federal tax return.  

 

Lynch, a Boston resident, was charged today by information with one count of bribery involving an organization receiving federal funds, and one count of filing a false federal tax return that failed to report his receipt of the bribe payments. According to the terms of a plea agreement also filed today, the government will recommend to the Court a sentence within the range of 46 to 57 months’ imprisonment.

 

In 2017, the Boston real estate developer sought to sell a parcel of residential real estate in Boston, but needed ZBA approval to extend a permit that would have allowed the property to be sold as a multi-unit development.  To get the permit extension, the developer agreed to pay $50,000 in cash bribes and a check to Lynch, in return for Lynch using his influence at the BPDA to secure a vote from a ZBA member. The permit extension helped the real estate developer realize an additional half million dollars in profits that the developer otherwise would not have received absent the permit.  After getting the permit extension, Lynch accepted $25,000 in cash payments and another $25,000 check, which Lynch used to pay a personal bill.  Lynch then failed to report those and another $10,000 payment he had received from the real estate developer.

 

Lynch faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the offense, whichever is greater, and forfeiture.  Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

 

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling, Joseph Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division, and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao of Lelling’s Public Corruption Unit is prosecuting the case.