State Welfare Names New Head Official After Critical Reports
The state welfare agency has officially named its new commissioner in the wake of a scandal in which payments to dead people were rendered. The Boston Herald reports Stacey Monahan has been named the new commissioner of the Department of Transitional Assistance. She had been an interim commissioner since Daniel Curley resigned in February after an Inspector General report cited broad overpayments. The February report said fraudulent welfare payments have cost taxpayers $ 25 million per year. Auditor Suzanne Bump released a report in May which says the agency has paid benefits to 1,164 people who received benefits after they had died, according to WCVB.com. Monahan has served as the executive director of the Massachusetts Democratic Party and is the former chief of staff for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
Boston FBI’s Head Agent to Retire
The Boston branch of the FBI announced on Tuesday that its top agent would retire next month. Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Richard DesLauriers announced he would retire on July 13 after 26 years with the agency. DesLauriers took over as Boston’s head FBI agent in July of 2010. During his time with the FBI, he has overseen several landmark investigations, including the 2010 arrests of 10 illegal “sleeper” agents of the Russian government, the arrest of FBI Top Ten Fugitive James “Whitey” Bulger, the terrorism convictions of Tarek Mehanna and Rezwan Ferdaus; the conviction of former Speaker of the Massachusetts House Salvatore DiMasi; the arrest and convictions of Anthony DiNunzio and Luigi Mannochio, former leaders of the New England La Cosa Nostra; and significant progress made in the theft of art from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, among others. DesLauriers is a Massachusetts native, having grown up in Longmeadow, MA. He started with the FBI in 1987, and since then, has served in the Birmingham, New York, and Boston offices, along with several different assignments at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., including Deputy Assistant Director of the Counterintelligence Division at FBI Headquarters, where he was responsible for nationwide counterintelligence operations and espionage investigations. “It has been a distinct honor and privilege to serve for the past three years as SAC of the Boston Division of the FBI,” said DesLauriers in a statement from the FBI. “I thank the very hard-working women and men of the FBI for their dedicated public service to our great nation, and I thank our many law enforcement and United States Attorney’s Office partners for their enduring friendship and countless contributions to enhancing public safety and security across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Maine.” DesLauriers will take over as vice president of corporate security with Penske Corporation in Bloomfield Hills, MI. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
Former Brown Aide Chosen to Head State GOP
Kristen Hughes, the former deputy finance chairman for the Sen. Scott Brown campaign, won a narrow vote Thursday night to become the new chairwoman of the Massachusetts Republican Party, according to Boston.com. Hughes, 35, will replace outgoing chairman Robert A. Maginn, Jr. Before joining Brown’s campaign – and becoming his choice to lead the GOP through the upcoming election cycle – Hughes worked as a Quincy city councilor. As Brown’s aide, she helped raise $ 42 million. Her win Thursday was seen by some as a important to avoid Brown from looking weak in the face of another possible run for the U.S. Senate, the Globe reported. “I am ready to head to [the GOP headquarters] tomorrow morning to get to work without delay,” Hughes said, according to Boston.com. “How we do in these special elections will have a direct impact on our ability to motivate the grassroots and raise funds for the 2014 cycle and beyond.” SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch