FALL RIVER, MASS. (WHDH) - Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia will not run for re-election and is planning on taking a leave of absence after hanging on through multiple criminal charges and a recall election, a spokesman said.
Correia is planning to take a leave of absence and drop out of the race for re-election, according to spokesperson George Regan. He’s expected to make the announcement on Tuesday.
Correia was elected first elected mayor in 2015. At 23, he was the youngest person ever to be elected mayor in Fall River, and was re-elected in 2017.
In October 2018, Correia was arrested and charges of wire fraud and filing false tax returns, allegedly taking $231,000 from his own company and defrauding investors. He refused calls to resign and Fall River held a recall election in March 2019.
A majority of voters in that recall, 61 percent, voted to recall Correia. But Correia also ran for election in that race and received 35 percent of the vote — good enough for the majority among five candidates, leading to his re-election.
But in September, Correia was again arrested, this time by the FBI on charges of extorting cannabis vendors in the city. The City Council asked him to resign and tried to relieve him of office, which Correia said was illegal.
Correia placed second in September’s primary election, putting him on the ballot for the November general election.
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