Massachusetts Speaker of the House Robert Deleo paid big bucks in legal fees as the U.S. attorney ramped up her probe of the state's probation department.
$300,000. That’s how much House Speaker Robert Deleo spent on legal services in the first half of the year, according to campaign finance reports.
A spokesperson from the law firm Mintz Levin confirmed the fees relate to the ongoing probation department investigation.
The U.S. attorney is investigating widespread political patronage at the probation department. So far, no elected officials have been indicted.
An Inspector General’s report detailed how jobs at the probation department were given to friends and families of lawmakers. DeLeo was named 41 times. He recommended 12 candidates for probation jobs including his godson. He also received political contributions from probation employees.
Still, Deleo’s lawyer insists the speaker isn’t a subject of the investigation and he would offer no other details about how the $300,000 was spent.
The US Attorney’s office would not comment.
