FALL RIVER, Mass (WPRI) — After being granted several delays over the past few months, disgraced former Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia is now in federal custody.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed that Correia surrendered at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Berlin, New Hampshire, just before noon Friday.
Correia was sentenced to six years in prison last fall after he was found guilty of extorting bribes from marijuana vendors who wanted to open shops in his city.
He was convicted by a jury of 21 of the 24 counts he faced, but 10 of those counts were later tossed out by a judge due to technicalities.
Correia is in the process of appealing his conviction, but those arguments have not yet been scheduled.
He was initially supposed to head to prison on Dec. 3, but in what almost became a routine occurrence, Correia’s report date was pushed back seven times for various reasons.
Earlier this week, a federal appeals court denied his request for an additional delay.
“Glad this day is finally here, because it’s been going on for way too long,” said someone close to Correia’s family who asked not to be identified.
“He’s very manipulative and pretty much uses other people’s money to run his life,” that person added. “He’s just a fraud.”
While Correia starting his sentence had many saying “finally,” others believe he shouldn’t be locked up.
“I think he’s innocent because of the corrupt system that we have,” Tony Amaral told 12 News.
“They should’ve given him another extension,” Amaral continued. “He’s a good mayor. He’s the best mayor we’ve had. Right? He made money for the city.”
Correia was initially arrested back in 2018 for wire fraud, and a year later was charged with extortion. It was then Correia ended his reelection bid and current Mayor Paul Coogan took over the city’s top seat.
Coogan told 12 News he hopes the saga will be laid to rest now that Correia is behind bars.
“We’ve been through this for a long time,” he said. “I hope he pays his dues to society and the city moves on.”
