Not long after the state representative Christopher Flanagan, D-1st Barnstable, were arrested by federal fraud accusations on Friday morningGovernor Maura Healey requested her resignation.
“These are serious complaints against the Flanagan representative threatening to undermine the important work of the legislature and question their ability to faithfully serve to their voters,” said Massachusetts’ governor. “I should resign.”
Flanagan, 37, of Dennis, was arrested on Friday morning and accused of five accusations of wire fraud and a count of falsification of the records, said United States prosecutor Leah Foley said.
From November 2021 to January 2023, Flanagan stole $ 36,000 to the Home Builders Association (HBA) in the CAPE COD bank account using wire transfers, according to an unattended accusation on Friday morning. T
HBA is a professional trade association that represents the industry of the CAPE COD building, which Flanagan was the executive director of 2019 until 2024, according to Foley’s office.
“Today’s charges against Massachusetts State Representative Christopher Flanagan reveal a terrible breach of public confidence … No one has the right to fraud power and the people of Massachusetts deserves better,” Fueley said in a statement.
Before Healey’s office published the brief statement, the President of the Massachusetts Republican Party, Amy Carnevale State Democrats should demand to resign.
“Federal charges only confirm what was already clear: Chris Flanagan is not suitable for serving, and Massachusetts Democrats must demand their resignation now,” said Carnevale. “Massdems must prove that they are able to be responsible, starting to ask today the resignation of Chris Flanagan.”
Flanagan is expected to appear in the Boston Federal Court on Friday afternoon.
The speaker of the state chamber, Ronald Mariano, D-3rd Norfolk, said that the house learned of the arrest of Flanagan through the media reports on Friday morning. He did not ask for Flanagan’s resignation, but said that the charges “are extraordinarily important and harm public confidence in the legislature.”
Masslive journalist Charlie McKenna contributed to the denunciation of this story.