BOSTON (WHDH) - A former Boston City Hall staffer was sentenced to prison Friday for accepting $50,000 in bribes from a real estate developer.
John M. Lynch, 67, was sentenced in federal court in Boston to 40 months in prison, one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution of $14,400 and to forfeit $50,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Lynch, who once worked as Assistant Director of Real Estate for the Boston Planning and Development Agency, pleaded guilty in September 2019 to one count of bribery involving an organization receiving federal funds and one count of filing a false federal tax return.
A Boston real estate developer sought to sell a parcel of residential real estate in Boston in 2017, but needed Boston Zoning Board of Appeals approval to extend a permit that would allow the property to be sold as a multi-unit development, prosecutors said. 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
The ZBA member later voted to grant the permit extension, enabling the developer to sell the property at an additional $500,000 profit that the developer otherwise would not have received, prosecutors said. Per their agreement, the developer is said to have then paid Lynch $25,000 in cash and gave Lynch a $25,000 check, which Lynch used to pay a personal bill.
“Since first learning of the charges, we have acted swiftly to address the immediate need for change at the Zoning Board of Appeal, while working simultaneously on longer-term reforms in collaboration with the Boston City Council,” Mayor Marty Walsh said in a statement.
Prosecutors say Lynch failed to report the payments and another $10,000 payment he had received from the real estate developer on this 2018 tax returns.
“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 U.S. 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.”
The government recommended a sentence of 48 months in prison.
Walsh has reportedly spoken with staff, the team at Sullivan & Worcester and the City Council to determine the best course of action to bring changes to the zoning board.
He plans to announce these reforms in the coming weeks.
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