Ex-Fall River Mayor Jasiel Corriea Guilty On 21 Counts

FALL RIVER, MA — Ex-Mayor Jasiel Corriea, who saw his political wunderkind status crash and burn in scandal, was convicted Friday on nearly all the two dozen federal charges he faced.

Correia was found guilty of 21 counts of wire fraud, filing false tax returns and extortion. He was acquitted on three other counts, including extortion.

Corria showed no emotion in a Boston federal court as the verdict was read after four days of deliberations.

Correia was elected mayor at 23 years old in 2015, reluctantly stepping down from intense pressure after he was accused of bankrolling his lavish lifestyle by defrauding investors and taking bribes from marijuana companies.

Prosecutors said he used more than $230,000 of investor dollars from his "SnoOwl" app on a Mercedes, designer clothing, adult entertainment, student loans and dating services. They also said he extorted marijuana vendors who wanted to do business in Fall River.

Correia fought to remain in office even as scandal engulfed him. In one instance in March 2019, voters opted to recall him — but the next step on the ballot was choosing his successor, and he outperformed four other candidates.