State Finally Honors Families Who Also Sacrificed Sometimes government gets something exactly right. In Massachusetts last month Governor Healey signed legislation creating Massachusetts’ new “Blue Star Family” license plate, giving the spouses, parents, children, siblings, and grandchildren of police officers killed in the line of duty a permanent way to honor their loved ones. The […]
Defendant yelled, “Charlie Kirk died, and we love it… we’re coming for you, gonna kill you.” BOSTON – A Malden, Mass. woman pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to assaulting federal agents who were engaging in lawful immigration enforcement and threatening to kill them. Bethany Abigail Terrill, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of influencing, impeding, or […]
EXACTLY WHAT DO THE FEDERAL DOCUMENTS ALLEGE AGAINST STATE REP. FRANCISCO PAULINO? A federal grand jury has indicted Massachusetts State Representative Francisco Paulino (D-Methuen) on eleven felony counts: Eight counts of wire fraud and aiding and abetting. Three counts of unlawful monetary transactions, commonly described as money laundering. The indictment alleges that Paulino used false […]
Defendant fled on the eve of trial and was returned to the U.S. by Dominican authorities BOSTON – A Lawrence, Mass., man was sentenced yesterday for operating a clandestine drug laboratory that manufactured thousands of fentanyl and methamphetamine pills and for possessing firearms that furthered his drug trafficking operation. The defendant fled the United States […]
Defendant Managed and Lost Over $600,000 of Clients’ Money BOSTON – A Haverhill man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for fraudulently obtaining $350,000 in investor funds. Luciano Schipelliti, 29, was sentenced byU.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to one year and one day in prison, to be followed by […]
BOSTON – A retired Sergeant for the Massachusetts State Police was sentenced on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, for fraudulently obtaining a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, which was later forgiven. Damian Halfkenny, 54, of Boston, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to one year of probation. The defendant was also […]
BOSTON – Four Dominican nationals have pleaded guilty, and another has been sentenced, for their roles in connection with a transnational “call center” operation in the Dominican Republic that tricked hundreds of elderly victims in the United States into believing that their grandchildren or other close family members were in trouble and needed money. In […]
Lowell Firefighters and Citizens Respond to a Proposed Reduction in Firefighters. As Kane sits in front of the Pine Street Fire House, he thinks about how the Fire Department and City Government came together to save the job positions of six firefighters. Kane is very happy that the fire house that serves the citizens […]
By: Essex County Sheriff Kevin Coppinger 6-26 For decades, corrections in America followed a simple philosophy: lock them up and throw away the key. In the profession, the formal phrase was “care, custody, and control.” The mission was straightforward — maintain order, keep people secure, and that was the end of it. But at […]
Chief Scott McNamara presenting the Officer Tom Duggan, Sr. Hero Police Officer Award to Derek Licata at the Valley Patriot’s Charity BASH Scholarship and Award night in 2024 VALLEY PATRIOT EXCLUSIVE By: Tom Duggan 6-22-26| 9:10am Rumors swirled over the past year that Methuen Police Chief Scott McNamara was unhappy with the leadership style […]
EDITOR’S NOTE: Withing 24 hours of posting this story an email was sent to all the employees of the Psychological Center (Daybreak, Pegasus House, and Women’s View) stating that the employee incentive program was being discontinued and that no employees had been paid or given any incentives as the result of brining in clients […]
By: Essex County Sheriff Kevin Coppinger 5-26 This month, I’m grateful for the opportunity to begin a monthly column in the Valley Patriot and to speak directly with the people of Essex County. If I’ve learned anything during my time as Sheriff, it’s this: most people don’t really know what a Sheriff’s Department does. Many […]
Over $200,000 in drug proceeds seized BOSTON – A Lawrence man was sentenced in federal court in Boston for conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Leonardo Lara, 45, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In October 2025, Lara was convicted by […]
Defendant voted in the 2024 presidential election under stolen identity, obtained a Massachusetts REAL ID and improperly received more than $400,000 in stolen federal benefits BOSTON – A Colombian woman, unlawfully residing in Boston, was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for illegally receiving more than $259,000 in Section 8 rental assistance; over $100,000 […]
BOSTON – A Dominican, national unlawfully residing in Methuen, has been charged with misuse of a Social Security number and aggravated identity theft. Victor Urena-Almanzar, 61, has been charged with one count of false representation of a social security number and one count of aggravated identity theft. Urena-Almanzar made his initial appearance in federal court […]