Advertisement Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia arrested, accused of extorting money from pot companies Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia was arrested early Friday morning at his home in the city.Correia, 27, was charged in a superseding indictment with bribery; extortion conspiracy; extortion and aiding and abetting; wire fraud; and filing false tax returns. He is accused of conspiring to extort hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from marijuana companies. In federal court Friday afternoon, Correia entered a plea of not guilty and was released on $250,000 bond. He will be required to pay $25,000 of that amount by the end of the day Tuesday. "I'm not guilty of these charges," he said outside of the courthouse. "I've done nothing but good for the great city of Fall River." Genoveva Andrade, Correia's former chief of staff, was also arrested on extortion and bribery charges. She was taken into custody in Boston, according to the FBI.Under Massachusetts law, the process for obtaining a license to operate a marijuana business, whether medical or recreational, required a letter of non-opposition from the head of the local government where the business intends to operate. As mayor, Correia was responsible for approving all non-opposition letters in Fall River. Correia has issued at least 14 such letters for marijuana businesses in Fall River, including two for his girlfriend’s brother, according to the indictment.Officials allege Correia used his office to extort at least four marijuana vendors for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribe payments. Correia is also accused of demanding that his chief of staff give him half her salary and almost all of a $10,000 “snow stipend” in return for appointing her and allowing her to keep her city job, according to the indictment.“He has essentially run that town as a pay to play institution,” United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling said.Antonio Costa, 51, of Fall River; Hildegar Camara, 58, of Fall River; and David Hebert, 54, of Westport, were charged with extortion conspiracy, extortion, and false statements in connection with subsequent false statements to federal agents about their roles in assisting Correia obtain money and property from marijuana vendors. Last year, Correia was charged last year with nine counts of wire fraud and four counts of tax fraud after he was accused of defrauding investors.Correia, 27, is accused of using $231,447 of the $363,690 invested by seven people in his now-defunct smartphone app company SnoOwl.Correia allegedly used the money to fund his “lavish lifestyle,” burgeoning political career and other business ventures.An investigator said at the time the indictment was handed down in October that Correia had turned investor funds into "his own personal ATM," using the cash for items including jewelry, designer clothing and a Mercedes.Correia was recalled and re-elected as mayor of Fall River on the same ballot in March.He's currently running for re-election.Speaking to reporters, Fall River City Council President Cliff Ponte emphasized that it is not the council's job to defend the mayor. He also suggested that Correia should step down from his office, at least temporarily. "What we need right now is everybody to stand by our side as elected leaders, allow the mayor the opportunity to deal with his personal issues on his own. And, if I could offer any hope from the council's perspective, every single city councilor is prepared to continue their duty and bring as much stability back -- integrity back -- to this community as we can," said Ponte.