The Challenge of Corruption
Litigation attorney Daniel Small published an article in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly explaining why corruption cases are challenging to prosecute. He talks about the case of Frank Wallen, the former commissioner of the Brockton, Massachusetts, Department of Public Works (DPW) who ran a pay-to-play scheme involving government contractors. Mr. Small, then the Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Boston U.S. Attorney's Office Public Corruption Unit, was assigned to investigate Wallen's dealings, and he focused on Charm Construction, a successful company formed by two Italian immigrants. Mr. Small uses this work to illustrate several difficulties in prosecuting public corruption: transactions are conducted in secret between consenting parties, the crimes are rarely single incidents, and evidence is hard to develop. The article concludes with the team's strategy to corroborate favors and projects and track down a key witness, to be continued in the next column.