FALL RIVER — Six years. In that short period of time,Jasiel Correia II’s starrose and fell.
Ayoung manfull of ambition but with no political experience,Correiacaptured the public’s attention like few before him,swept into public office andsoaredto the sixthfloor of Government Centerin record time—and in record time,Fall Rivervotersbooted him fromthe mayor’sofficewith afederalcorruption scandalnippingat his heels. All that, in a little more than half a decade.
How Jasiel Correia fell from grace:'What he wanted was money, what he wanted was power'
Correia has been convicted of21 charges offraud, extortion and corruption.It’sworth asking ourselves: How did we get here?Let’s follow thehistory.
How Jasiel Correia II was made
His early years:To hearCorreiatell it, he’s hadpolitical aspirationsliterally fromhisbirthin 1991. In 2018, hehosted a Herald News reporter in his mayoral office, telling of a home video of his birthand how his grandmother, a Portuguese immigrant, predicted his political future. “She says in that video that because I was born here, I could be the president of this country,” Correia said. His mother once said the family nearly moved away from Fall River when Correia was in middle school, but the boy insisted they stay so he could become mayor one day.In the documentary series “Run This City” profiling Correia’s rise and fall, he tells of being fascinated with the video game SimCity.
Jasiel fact check:Context to some of the claims by the defense in the Jasiel Correia sentencing memo
2006-2009:In his high school years, Correia becomes involved in the community — much more than your average teen.Hetakes leadership roles in the BOLD Coalition, an anti-drug organization. He wins a mayoral citation for his work at age 14, and is namedFall River’sYouth of the Year at 17.He's confident enough tohelpto moderate mayoral debates, and presentsa Youth Bill of Rights to Mayor Robert Correia.He’s leading the North End Neighborhood Associationtwo years before he can even drive a car.
2013:Newly graduated from Providence College, Correia takes his aspirationsto the next level. Hefounds and leads a company in Fall River called 1Zero4 Business Academy, what he callsa "business incubator" offering startup companiesoffice space, utilities and other amenities in a converted mill on AnawanStreet. He says he hopes to host 100 businesses there within the next three years. (Three years later, 1Zero4 was out of business itself.) At the same time, he and other partners begin work on a smartphone app calledSnoOwl— much more on that below.
April-December2013:Correiapulls papersto run for Fall River City Council, touting his entrepreneurial experience and youth, andearns theendorsem*ntofthe Herald NewsEditorial Board.Inthe November 2013election, Correia's campaigncomes up just short— 10th placein a race that elects nine candidates.A few weeks later, though, top council vote-getter Cathy Ann Viveiros is tapped by Mayor Will Flanagan for city administrator, leaving a vacancy on the council —and Correia’s 10th place showingearns him a seat on the council by default. At 22, he is now officially part of Fall River city government.
How the 'Flana-gun' incident ledto Jasiel Correia’s stratospheric rise
Aug. 14, 2014:Mayor Will Flanagan is facing a citizen-led recall petition over his job performance.In an apparent attempt toeither gain favor withor threaten him— it'sstillneverbeenestablished which —Flanagan calls Correia to a secret late-night meeting on Fall River’s waterfront. Like something out of a gangster movie, Flanagan, Correiaand two of Flanagan’s associatesdrivearound Fall River in the wee hours, discussing the recall attempt. At one point, Flanagan showsCorreia a gun. What that gun meant, and why it was drawn, is going to be disputed for months.
Sept. 8, 2014:Correia goes public with the story, accusing Flanagan of trying to intimidate himinto not supporting the recall. An investigation is launchedthat lasts until May 2015. Flanagan never faces charges, and the two trade civil lawsuitsthat are eventually resolved in a settlement on Aug. 21, 2015, the details of which are known only to the men involved. But the "Flana-gun" story has a strange effect — it escalates Correia’s politicalprofile.Nearly overnight,Flanagan’s political opponents becomeCorreia’s allies, and Correiagoes from being just another freshman councilor to a well-known political figure in Fall River.
May 19, 2015:After years of development — and what is determined later to be hundreds of thousands of dollars in investments over the previous months—SnoOwlis complete.It’s an app meant to connect users with local businesses, functioning kind of like a hybrid of Twitter, Facebook, and Yelp.Apple approves it for download in the Apple Store. (It has since been removed, and any copies still remaining on people's phones are non-functional.)
June 4, 2015:Correia holds aSnoOwllaunch party at a waterfront restaurant in Fall River. According to the company's Facebook page,more than 100 people show up to the event, emceed by the councilor wearing a purple T-shirt with the SnoOwl logo.
June 6, 2015:Just two days later, Correia announces he’s going to run foroffice against an unpopular Mayor Sam Sutter.Againhe touts his entrepreneurial spirit, his status as a political outsider, and his youth. On June 15, he officially signs nomination paperwork entering the race. Over the summer and fall, his campaignpromises change and fresh ideas, to run the city like a business, which gains traction with the public. In October, he tells a Herald News reporter: “If I’m mayor, I’m going to be mayor for 10 years.”
Nov. 4, 2015:In a stunning victory,Correia tops Sutter by 52% to 48%. Correia is 23 years old, likely the youngest mayor in Fall River history. The young man who grew up playing SimCity had been an elected official forless than two years.
Jasiel Correia’s timeas Fall River mayor
Jan. 4, 2016:Correia is sworn in as mayor. In his inauguration speech, the young man promises a new way of governing, andsays,“To achieve greatness we must work as partners. My administration will be focused on building partnerships, recognizing through partnerships Fall River residents will thrive.”
Jan. 8, 2016:Almost immediately, Correia faces criticism for cronyism. High school friend and SnoOwl partner Christopher Parayno becomes his chief of staff at an elevated salary, steps down in May, then is rehired to a different job two years later.Correia hires former mentorMichael Aguiarasa "substance abuse prevention coordinator." Whenthe City Council rejects the hire, Correia changes Aguiar's job description and hires him anyway without their approval. Aguiar would resign in disgrace in June 2017 due to circ*mstances much like Correia's — under scrutiny that he treated himself to luxury items with someone else's money. Aguiar is accused of squanderingthousandsin grant funding on a lavish trip to New York City, including a four-night stay at the Ritz-Carlton with room service and an expensiverental SUV.
July 2016:Based on confidential information, The Herald Newsbegins investigatingCorreia's financial dealings withSnoOwl.
Summer 2016:Correialearns the ropesas mayor, asserting his authority. He espouses a somewhat dominant style, shaking up departments and squaring off against the City Council. He decides to privatize trash pickup, laying off staff and selling off the city’s fleet of trucks, incurring the wrath of the Teamsters and the state Labor Relations Board in the process.He pushes forward plansfor “streetscapes” improvement projects. He invests $100,000 of city money in marketing campaignthat eventually yields a new logo, a slogan, and one 30-second promotional video (narrated by Correia).
Nov. 8,2016:Voters statewide approve a ballot question legalizing recreational marijuanasalesin Massachusetts.But it would not be until 2018 that companies would be allowed to apply for licenses,withretail sales finally beginninglate that year. Butto do business in a city, retail pot companies need non-opposition letters and host agreements from the city government— in Fall River's case, from Mayor Correia and him alone.
The beginning of Jasiel Correia’s fall from grace
March 2017:In his State of the City addresson March 1, Correia praises thework of theFall River Office of Economic Development.But threeweeks later,Correiahas soured. Hetells The Herald News he wantsto cancel the city’s contract with FROED, leavingPresident Frank Marchione “blindsided.”Over the next months, Correia claims FROED owes the city back rent, attempts to strip FROED of funding, and kicks the organization out of its office in Government Center.
April 27, 2017:At FROED’s annual board meeting, Marchione drops a bombshell: He says Correiahas targeted FROED because Correia is under investigation by the FBIfor his dealings withSnoOwl, and believes someone in FROED is cooperating withthat investigation. It’s the first public statement about thematter. Jasiel claims ignorance about any investigation, and the FBI refuses to confirm or deny it.
April 28, 2017:A day later, Dr.David Cabeceiras, a local orthodontist, tells The Herald News that between April 2014 and August 2015, he invested $80,750 inSnoOwland alleges Correia misappropriated his money. Correiadenies misusing the money, and sayshe hasn’t been the CEO ofSnoOwlsince 2016 when he “made the decision to hand it over,” citing his job as mayor. However, he refusesto say who he handed it over to. At the time, Correiais still listedas an officer of the company, and all contact information in the app and on its website directed users to Correia.
May 30, 2017:Correia appointsSnoOwlinvestor Hildegard Camara as the executive director of the Bristol County Training Consortium at an $84,000 annual salary, despite having no experience and being unemployed for six years. We'll come back to him a bit later.
Sept. 7, 2017:After months of public denial, Correia finally confirmshe is the subject of an FBI investigationoverSnoOwl,and that he remains its president. He doesn’t deny that investorsmade noreturn on the $330,000spentto develop the app, and says that “The goal was to be acquired, not to generate significant revenue. … Our goal was…to sell it to a major company.”
Nov. 7, 2017: Despite the recent controversy, Correia remains popular and wins re-election as mayor. Shortly thereafter, Correia namescampaign managerGenoveva Andradeashis new chief of staff, at $78,780 annually. Correiawill later beaccused ofextortinghalf of this salary fromher.
Jasiel Correia under arrest: His 'extravagant lifestyle'comes to light
Jan. 28, 2018:A legal defense fund is set up for Correia through the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, despite his insistence that what's happening is not a formal criminal investigation. Correia won't discuss the fund with us.
Summer 2018:A review of filings reveals that marijuana companies are donating heavily to Correia’s legal defense and campaign funds. In May, Northeast Alternatives gives him $20,000, four days after Correia gave them a host agreement andnon-opposition letter — in 2021, it is revealed that Correia briefly worked for this company as a private consultant around this time, while still in public office. In August, he gets $5,000 from donors associated with the medical marijuana company Hope, Heal, Health.In September, Correia received $7,500 from eight campaign donors to his election fund from people associated with Russco Inc., a Fall River-basedconstruction company renovating 482 Globe St., the location for the medical marijuana operation,XyphiasWellness.
Oct. 11, 2018:Correia is arrested by State Police. He’s led handcuffed into a federal courtroom and arraigned on nine counts of wire fraud for allegedly defrauding investors in SnoOwl and four counts of filing false tax returns related tothat business. U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling alleges Correia convinced seven people to invest more than $363,000 inSnoOwlbetween 2013 and 2017, but "diverted more than $231,000 of that money ... to fund his political career and extravagant lifestyle.” The FBI describes Correia using investor money "as his own personal ATM," spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on luxury goods including a Mercedes Benz, jewelry, designer men’s and women’s clothing, airfare, luxury hotels, restaurants, casinos, and adult entertainment. Correia is released on bailanddenies all charges.
Oct. 17, 2018:Correia holds a press conference defendingSnoOwlas a viable product and claiming this investigation is “a smear campaign of false allegations being made by political enemies.”A day later,acitizen starts a petition to recall Correia from office.Meanwhile, Correia’s story, which has made national news, attracts the attention of filmmaker Brent Hodge, and a documentary film crew begins following Correia aroundtwo months later.
Jasiel Correia cries 'fake news'— then is recalled and re-elected in the same night
November 2018: In response to a tweet from Herald News reporter Jo C. Goode, who had been investigatingand reporting on the Correia allegations, Correia replies with a link to a website: jogoode.com. The website consists entirely of a GIF meme of President Donald Trump saying "You are fake news." He taunts Goode with the website again in mid-December, and when confronted by The Herald News admits that he purchased the jogoode.com domain and created a website to troll her. Correia says he was angered because Goode wrote two "fake news" tweets about him: one about him moving from his apartment, and another about a documentary crew following him. Both tweets were true.
Dec. 6, 2018:The City Council questions a $10,000 stipend paid to Genoveva Andrade related to her work during snowstorms. Correia will later be accused of demanding Andrade request this stipend, and extortingnearly all it from her. She resigns her position a month later, saying she needs to focus on Correia's recall election.
March 7, 2019:Another look at campaign filings reveals that people and companies connected to the marijuana industry have dumped $55,000 into Correia's campaign and legal defense funds. By this time, Correia had signed 10 letters of non-opposition and negotiated host community agreements for facilities that offer medical marijuana, recreational pot sales, or both.
March 12, 2019:In a shocking and historic twist, 61% of voters approve a recall for Correia — but he is immediately re-elected as mayor, getting about 35% of votes from among a crowded field of five candidates.
Jasiel Correia’s second arrest: This time, voters oust him for good
July 18, 2019:At a special City Council meeting, Councilor ShawnCadimeflat-out accuses Correia of getting kickbacks from marijuana companies. Correia’s lawyer threatens legal action for slander, but Cadime doesn't back down. Meanwhile, Correia denies that more charges against him are forthcoming.
Sept. 6, 2019:But there were.Correia is arrested again, this time at his Fall River apartment.He is now charged in what federal investigators refer to as a vast criminal conspiracy to extort money from marijuanacompanies and others — about $600,000 in cash and luxury items. He facescharges of bribery,extortion conspiracy,wire fraud,filing false tax returnsand more— 24 counts of corruption, including his earlierSnoOwlindictment. Once again, Lelling describes Correia's "brazen" corruption and love of extravagant goods, including a $10,000 "Batman" Rolex watch he's accused of getting in exchange for permitting assistance at a Kilburn Street mill.Andrade is also arrested, and she is chargedwith extortion conspiracy,theft and bribery. Three others are charged as co-conspirators: Antonio Costa,Hildegar Camara and David Hebert — all face charges of extortion and providing false statements to investigators.They’re accused ofactingas middlemen between Correia and marijuana companies, extorting tens of thousands of dollars in exchange for letters of non-opposition and host agreements, ferrying envelopes of bribe money for the mayor—even dropping offbundles ofcash in people's sheds.Costa, Camara and Hebertallplead guilty.
Oct. 15, 2019:Correia spends weeks refusing to step down from office and fending off an ouster attempt by the City Council. In the end, he suspends his campaign for a third term as mayor and takes a leave of absence from office. Days later, acting Mayor Cliff Ponte officially fires the now-indicted Hildegar Camara from his government job as head of BCTC.
Nov. 5, 2019:Afterabout four years as mayor, Correia is voted out.Voters handily elect Paul Coogan as mayor over Correia and last-minute write-in candidate Cathy Ann Viveiros.For the first time since2014, Correia is a private citizen again. He stays out of the public spotlight almost entirely after this.
Jasiel Correia's day in court delayed
Jan. 22, 2020:Andrade, having stood by Correia's side for years as campaign manager, chief of staff and finally as co-defendant on corruption charges,files a motion to sever her case from Correia’s. Their trial, which has been delayed several timespartiallydue to the sheer number of discovery documents involved—more than78,000 pages —is set for May.But the COVID pandemichits that spring, delayingthe trial even further.
April 6, 2020:Brent Hodges' “Run This City,” a 10-part documentary series on Correia’s rise and fall from power, premieres onQuibi, a short-lived smartphone-only video streaming app that debuted (and went out of business) in 2020. It receives positive reviews.
Dec. 14, 2020:Andrade pleads guiltyand is convictedfor her part in the government corruption case against Correia, which includes six counts of extorting hundreds of thousands of dollars from marijuana companiesin exchange for the right to do business in Fall River,andbriberyin giving Correia half her government salary and most of the snow stipend.
March 16, 2021:After multiple delays,Correia’s trial on all 24 charges is set for April 20. U.S. attorneys announcethey're set to call 35 witnesses to testify against Correia. The trial is expected to last three weeks.
Jasiel Correia ontrial, and how he was found guilty
April 26, 2021:Opening arguments are made in Jasiel Correia’s corruption trial, andthe firstwitnesses are called. Leading the prosecution team are Zachary Hafer and David Tobin; for the defense, Correia’s attorney Kevin Reddington.Presiding over the courtroom is Judge Douglas Woodlock. Over the nexttwo weeks, 33 witnesses will be calledreaching back to Correia’s days in college to his time as mayor of Fall River. Among them aretwohisco-conspirators, investors andSnoOwldevelopers, his ex-girlfriend Natalie Cleveland, people who say Correiaextortedthem fortens ofthousands of dollars, and an IRS special agent who tracked all of Correia’s major purchases. To the jury, the prosecution paints Correia as a shysterliving an absurdlylavish lifestyle. The defense plays up Correia’s youth and suggests, if any crime occurred, thatignorance is to blame, calling Correia “sodumb” and saying he’s “not good with figures and math and stuff.”Correia does not take the stand in his own defense.The two sides issue closing arguments on May 10, with the jury beginning their deliberations the next day.
The Jasiel Correia verdict:Ex-Fall River mayor guilty of 21 of 24 counts of fraud, extortion, conspiracy
May 14, 2021: After several days of deliberations, the jury returns its verdict: Guiltyof 21 counts of wire fraud, tax fraud, extortion and extortion conspiracy.Correia is found not guilty of three counts: extortion and extortion conspiracy regarding utility work performed at co-conspirator Tony Costa’s building, and of briberyofGen Andrade.Correia is allowed to return home wearing a GPS monitoring bracelet pending sentencing on Sept. 20.Immediately after leaving the courthouse, Correia gives an off-the-cuff response to the mediamaintaining his innocence, saying "the justice system failed us today,”vowing an appeal and promising that one day “the real truth” would emerge.Prosecutors would take careful note of these statements, using them against him in pre-sentencing memos filed with the judge – and Correia’s defense team would call them “ill-advised.”
June 10, 2021: Gen Andrade appears before Judge Douglas Woodlock for sentencing on charges of bribery, extortion and making false statements.The prosecution and defense teams agree that Andrade should receive no jail time and put before Woodlock a C-plea for his approval, which would be a binding agreement.In a stunning turn, Woodlock rejects the plea, on the grounds that Andrade deserves time in prison – so he rejects her pleaand sends her case back to Square One. Andrade is given a trial date in December.
June 11, 2021: Kevin Reddington files a motion to withdraw as Correia’s defense attorney.The previous day, Correia had hiredWilliam Fick and Daniel Marx to represent him.
June 29, 2021: Co-conspirator Tony Costa, who pleaded guilty totaking part in the schemeto extort money from marijuana vendors, is sentenced to three years’probation, part of it homeconfinement, community service, and forfeiture and fines.
July 21, 2021: Co-conspirator Hildegar Camara, who also pleaded guilty to taking part in the extortion scheme, receives a similar sentence: three years’ probation, home confinement,andcommunityservice.
July 27, 2021: Correia officially files his appeal, asking for an acquittal or a new trial. Among the grounds for appeal:attorneys Fick and Marxargue thatthe two sets of charges Correia faced – theSnoOwlcharges and the extortion charges – should not have been argued at the same trial, saying there was a “prejudice inherent in a sprawling trial ofmisjoinedoffenses.”
Aug. 20, 2021:Jasiel Correia and his girlfriend Jenny Fernandes are married. Their reception is held at Towne House on Purchase Street.
Sept. 20-21, 2021: Sentencing is set for Jasiel Correia. In pre-sentencing memos, the U.S. Attorney’s office recommended 11 years in prison and nearly $900,000 in forfeiture, restitution and fines.Defense attorneys Fick and Marx recommended Correia serve three years in prison, along with forfeiture and restitution. Before pronouncing judgment, however, Woodlock takes up a defense motion to re-examine the use of evidence in the case. The judge ends up tossing most of the wire fraud charges on the grounds that the prosecution didn't provide sufficient evidence of the use of interstate commerce, and the tax fraud charges on grounds that the prosecution didn't provide enough evidence that the fraud was willful. Still, he chastises Correia verbally and sentences the former mayor to six years in prison and three years of supervised release.
The end of the road for Jasiel Correia and his co-conspirators
Nov. 24, 2021: Correia is scheduled to self-surrender to Federal Correctional Institution Berlin in northern New Hampshire on Dec. 3, just days before his 30th birthday. Correia, who has been working at his in-laws' restaurant and function hall on Purchase Street, the Towne House, asks Woodlock to stay free on bail so he can help out during the holiday season, if not indefinitely pending appeal. Woodlock grants him continued release until early January. It would be the first of many delays before Correia reported to prison.
Dec. 9, 2021: A new trial for Andrade begins, with the former chief of staff pleading not guilty. The proceedings are cut short when a witness contracts COVID, and the entire trial is delayed until March 7.
Seven takeaways from his appeal:Were Jasiel Correia's claims of success just 'puffery'?
Feb. 3, 2022: Co-conspirator David Hebert, who was at one point Correia's landlord, asks for and is granted a delay in his sentencing. He has accepted a plea agreement with prosecutors, pleading guilty to charges of extortion, extortion conspiracy and lying to federal investigators. His sentencing is set for May 18 before Judge Rya Zobel.
Feb. 23, 2022: With her trial set to start within days, Andrade changes her plea from not guilty to guilty, accepting a new plea agreement with prosecutors. This time, prosecutors drop all charges against her -- including accusations of extortion and bribery -- except for lying to federal investigators. They recommend she serve no prison time.
March 7, 2022: A tearful Andrade appears before Woodlock and pleads guilty to making false statements to federal law enforcement officials. Woodlock notes that she did not aid prosecutors by testifying during Correia's trial, but sentences her to time served, a year of probation, and a $50,000 fine. Andrade is contrite in her court appearance and denounces her association with Correia. "I made a serious mistake when I got involved withJasielCorreia," she says. "I wish I never laid eyes on him."
March 30, 2022: With just minutes before a filing deadline, Correia's appellate attorneys Fick and Marx file their appeal brief. In this document, they repeat several claims they made in their initial filing, including alleging that the two halves of Correia's trial should not have been joined together. They also allege Woodlock gave improper jury instructions, and that prosecutors unfairly influenced the jury by playing a video of then-candidate Correia debating incumbent Mayor Sam Sutter.
April 4, 2022: After giving Correia multiple delays to report to prison, Woodlock denies Correia any further extensions. In an opinion, he says he needed to read Correia's appeal brief first, and finds that its arguments are without merit. He orders Correia to report to federal prison in Berlin, N.H., on April 22. Correia later takes his bid to remain free to the First Circuit Court of Appeals.
April 11, 2022: Rumors swirl about Correia's involvement with the Towne House, and that he is no longer employed by the business. Sources close to The Herald News reveal that Correia had been let go by the business months earlier. An attorney for the Towne House confirms that Correia is not an employee there, and that his wife, Jenny, is no longer a co-owner of the establishment.
April 20, 2022: The appeals court in a brief statement denies Correia continued bail pending his appeal.
April 22, 2022: After 20 weeks of delays; seven months after his sentencing; nearly a year after his conviction at a jury trial; and three and a half years after his first arrest on fraud charges, Jasiel Correia is incarcerated. He is remanded into the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons and becomes an inmate at Federal Correctional Institution, Berlin. With good behavior, he is expected to be released in June 2027.
June 15, 2022: David Hebert faces sentencing before Judge Rya Zobel. He pleads guilty to multiple charges including a count of extortion, a count of extortion conspiracy, and one count of making false statements to federal investigators. Zobel sentences Hebert to three years probation, a $25,000 fine, and $61,000 in forfeiture. Hebert is the last co-defendant to be sentenced in the Correia corruption scandal.
