Patronage in the Probation Dept.
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A Globe Spotlight Team report on corrupt hiring and promotion practices within the Massachusetts Probation Department, and coverage of the investigation of the agency that followed the stories.
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Highlights from the probation report
Explore the conclusions and sworn testimony of key witnesses in the independent counsel's report of the Probation Department.
Probation: An agency
for the well-connected
More than 250 employees of the department are personally connected to officials, or gave at least $500 to state legislators, an analysis found.
Small-town legislator,
big financial support
Rep. Thomas M. Petrolati represents a small area of the state, but he attracts tens of thousands of dollars in political donations from probation officers.
Probation connections
A six-month investigation found that the state's Probation Department employs at least 250 friends, relatives, and financial backers of politicians and top court officials.
Documents »
Independent counsel Paul F. Ware's report on the Probation Department's hiring practices.
held in contempt
Documents in a legal fight where John J. O'Brien was held in contempt.
Depositions given in a suit that alleged discrimination on the basis of race and sex.
A motion and response to fight an investigation into the Probation Department.
State Probation Commissioner John J. O’Brien abruptly resigned Dec. 31, 2010.
DeLeo: 'In the clear' in Probation Dept. probe
House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo said he has been told he would not be charged in the probation investigation that has roiled state government. (12:24 p.m.)
Opening statements delivered in O’Brien's corruption trial
Former Massachusetts Probation Department head John J. O’Brien used his influence to turn out attendees for a political fundraiser for then-Treasurer Timothy Cahill in exchange for a job for his wife, a prosecutor said today in opening statements in O’Brien’s corruption trial.
Former probation commissioner and codefendant to be tried together
A Suffolk Superior Court judge has refused to order separate trials for former state probation commissioner John J. O’Brien and his codefendant, ex-Treasury aide Scott S. Campbell — even though lawyers for the men argue a single trial will pit the two against each other. (12/30/12)
Corbett Jr. stepping down as acting probation commissioner
Acting Commissioner of Probation Ronald P. Corbett Jr., who took control of the state probation system in the wake of a job-rigging scandal that led to criminal charges against top probation officials, will leave office in 2013, the court system announced. (Globe, 8/24/12)
Taxpayers to foot legal bill for ex-probation commissioner O'Brien
John J. O'Brien, the former probation commissioner charged with racketeering and mail fraud, has been appointed a federal public defender. (Boston Globe, 6/14/12)
Former state probation officials face federal criminal charges
Three former members of the scandal-plagued Probation Department are now under federal indictments, according to US Attorney Carmen Ortiz' office. (Boston Globe, 3/23/12)
Former probation chief arrested in hiring scandal
A former acting chief probation officer was arrested and charged with intimidating and harassing a witness as part of the federal investigation of the patronage hiring scandal at the state Probation Department. (Boston Globe, 12/21/11)
DeLeo moves to fire aide Murphy
House Speaker Robert DeLeo scheduled a caucus to remove Charles Murphy, who infuriated DeLeo with comments related to an ongoing investigation of probation department patronage.
(Globe, 12/5/11)
- 01/23/11 DeLeo vows to battle patronage
Probation official on leave amid investigations
The acting chief probation officer at Hampshire Superior Court in Northampton was placed on administrative leave yesterday amid questions of whether he would be indicted by a federal grand jury investigating the patronage hiring scandal in the state Probation Department. (Boston Globe, 10/27/11)
Former probation commissioner O’Brien indicted
A Suffolk County grand jury has indicted former Probation Commissioner John O’Brien on charges that he traded political donations to former state Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill in exchange for a job for O’Brien’s wife. (Boston Globe, 9/19/11)
More fraud questions raised for probation
Former probation commissioner John J. O’Brien followed a “deeply flawed’’ process to award a multimillion dollar contract for electronic monitoring services, raising suspicion that O’Brien’s choice was based on “favoritism, fraud, or improper influence,’’ according to the state inspector general. (Boston Globe, 6/8/11)
Mass. probation chief fires department’s top lawyer
Acting Probation Commissioner Ronald P. Corbett Jr. has fired the agency’s top lawyer, concluding that Christopher J. Bulger “violated his professional duty’’ by repeatedly briefing Corbett’s predecessor about the investigation into his conduct. (Boston Globe, 5/31/11)
Senate tackles state job patronage
Stung by a Probation Department scandal, the state Senate approved a bill designed to limit the influence of political connections in obtaining state jobs. (Boston Globe, 5/20/11)
AG looks into treasury job offers
Attorney General Martha Coakley is investigating whether former state treasurer Timothy P. Cahill and former probation commissioner John O’Brien violated state ethics law by trading treasury jobs for campaign donations. (Boston Globe, 5/8/11)
Speaker’s words — and his ways
House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo has emerged as an antipatronage reformer, but a Spotlight Team review has found that he sponsored many for probation jobs. (By Andrea Estes and Scott Allen, Globe Staff)
Interim Mass. Probation leader is named
The state’s top administrative judge appointed Ronald Corbett Jr. to a two-year term as commissioner of the Probation Dept., replacing John J. O’Brien, who resigned on New Year’s Eve amid charges that he had built a fraudulent hiring and promotion system. (Boston Globe)
O’Brien resigns amid scandal
State Probation Commissioner John J. O’Brien, whose alleged use of his agency’s payroll to reward political patrons plunged the department into scandal, abruptly resigned yesterday. (Boston Globe)
- Interim leader keeping focus on the future
- Probation inquiry shifts to Massachusetts Legislature
- DeLeo wants Probation Dept. hires under Civil Service
Judges struggled to limit O’Brien
The state’s top judges are facing tough questions about whether they fulfilled their responsibilities to monitor the Probation Dept. and rein in Commissioner John O’Brien. (Boston Globe, 12/4/10)
The Ware report
Coverage of the report on the Probation Department that Paul F. Ware Jr. prepared for the Supreme Judicial Court.
Amid scandal, Petrolati resigns leadership post
Thomas M. Petrolati, the third-ranking Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, agreed to leave his leadership post, becoming the first political casualty of an independent counsel’s report that portrayed him as a major player in the patronage scandal engulfing the state’s Probation Department. (Globe Staff)
- Scot Lehigh: Dealing with patronage, post Thomas Petrolati
- PDF Excerpts of House Speaker Robert DeLeo's testimony
SJC orders probation overhaul
as report finds rampant fraud
The state’s highest court ordered court officials to move swiftly to fire the probation commissioner, suspend his senior lieutenants, and ask prosecutors to weigh criminal charges. (Boston Globe, 11/19/10)
- Vast body of evidence was collected | Video: 'A devastating report'
- Brian McGrory: The same old sad story | Read the full report
- SJC statement | Report highlights | Excerpts from the investigation
Lawmakers fed budget to keep jobs coming
The independent counsel’s report that staggered the state Probation Department yesterday exposed evidence of a corrosive partnership with state lawmakers who for years have used the agency as a sort of private employment agency, knowing that as long as they fed the agency’s budget, jobs for their supporters would follow. (By Andrea Estes and Scott Allen, Globe Staff, 11/19/10)
The Spotlight Report
An agency where patronage is job one
The state Probation Department once set the standard for the nation in rehabilitating criminals. But nine years ago the Legislature freed it from meaningful oversight, and the results were predictable: budgets soared, and the welcome mat was out for hundreds of job seekers with political juice. (Boston Globe, 5/22/10)
O’Brien's rise and reign defined by tenacity
Just before he took over as the state’s chief administrative judge, Robert A. Mulligan began meeting with the court system’s department heads, chummy meet-and-greet sessions that gave the incoming boss a chance to get to know his top lieutenants. (Boston Globe, 5/23/10)
Questions loom for patronage ‘king’
Investigations are swirling around state Representative Thomas Petrolati, a legislative leader with huge sway over Probation Department hiring and a history of acting as if rules do not apply to him. (Boston Globe, 10/24/10)
- Why Petrolati is nicknamed 'The King of Patronage'
- Petrolati led a troubled redistricting effort, but claimed a limited grasp
- Harassment complaint begets charges of witness manipulation
- Witness to scandal | Audio The Globe on the Petrolati case
A legacy of lax oversight and dubious claims
The troubles at the state Probation Department go way beyond patronage. Key programs have gone astray, with bloated budgets and indifferent management; caseload reports are wildly exaggerated; and a culture of secrecy prevails. (Boston Globe, 7/24/10)
Spotlight follow-up
Evidence of insider job deals at Probation
The independent counsel investigating the Massachusetts Probation Department has found strong evidence that suspended commissioner John J. O’Brien manipulated his agency’s hiring and promotion process to advance applicants with insider support, according to a source familiar with the investigation. (Boston Globe, 7/25/10)
Department scandal puts incumbents on defensive
From Western Massachusetts to West Roxbury, the controversy at the state Probation Department is reverberating in political races as candidates for the Legislature and other offices seize on reports of the agency’s record of patronage as yet another reason to sweep incumbents out of office. (Boston Globe, 5/29/10)
- Patrick vetoes effort to protect suspended probation commissioner
- Senate proposes limited judicial oversight of Probation Dept.
Probation commissioner suspended
Probation Commissioner John J. O’Brien was stripped of his duties as the state’s highest court appointed a special counsel to conduct an investigation into the state agency. (Boston Globe, 5/24/10)
- SJC picks Ware to investigate Mass. probation agency
- Your view Your ideas for reforming the Probation Department
- Your view The first step to reform the Probation Department?
Legal battles
Lawmaker must face questioning on hirings
The state’s high court rejected a bid by state Representative Thomas M. Petrolati to avoid answering questions about his efforts to place friends, relatives, and political supporters in state probation jobs. (Boston Globe, 9/16/10)
- Lawmaker’s attorney challenges SJC in patronage inquest
- SJC’s help sought in probation review
- Petrolati fighting subpoena to testify about Probation Department
Columns and commentary on the series
Globe Editorial
In Probation scandal, the disgrace is widespread
The most troubling revelation of the independent counsel’s report on the state Probation Department wasn’t the rampant patronage. It was the fact that this corrupt jobs bazaar seems to have been an open secret on Beacon Hill. (Boston Globe, 11/19/10)
- Adrian Walker Legislature in no rush
- Brian McGrory The same old sad story
- Globe Editorial Oust O’Brien, but also overhaul his agency
- Mark S. Coven At its best, Probation keeps us safe
- Globe Editorial Probation: Tighten reins on a rogue department
- Kevin Cullen Hard work, heartbreak for probation officers
- Joan Vennochi A season of scandal, and everyone turns to Coakley
- Globe Editorial DeLeo, Cahill should stop downplaying mess