Creedon makes payments

FORMER SOMERVILLE ALDERMAN TELLS COURT OF EXTORTION; SCHEME FOR VOTES [THIRD Edition] Boston Globe (pre-1997 Fulltext) - Boston, Mass. Author: M.E. Malone, Globe Staff Date: Aug 13, 1986 Start Page: 53 Section: METRO Text Word Count: 514 Document Text Three current and two former aldermen in Somerville were given money in exchange for a favorable vote in connection with the Assembly Square Mall project, a former alderman testified yesterday in US District Court. According to Timothy J. Creedon, who was sentenced to a year in prison for his role in a scheme to extort money from a developer seeking liquor licenses, aldermen Vincent Ciampa, Joseph Macaluso and Michael McKenna accepted money from him in exchange for their votes approving a home rule petition in February 1983. Former aldermen Frank Bakey and Alan Kenney were also paid for their votes, Creedon testified. Creedon was the third prosecution witness to testify at the trial of McKenna and his father-in-law, former city assessor Robert Campo, who are charged with trying to extort money from East Bay Development Corp., the builder of the Assembly Square Mall in Somerville. Creedon testified that he told John J. Callahan, an undercover FBI agent posing as developer Jack Collins, that he would need $13,500 to secure enough votes to guarantee approval of a home rule petition authorizing two new liquor licenses for the mall -- $1,500 for each of eight aldermen and $1,500 forhimself. The petition was approved by a vote of 11-0. Instead, Creedon said he pocketed most of the payoff, giving only $500 to each of five other aldermen, including McKenna. When McKenna learned that Creedon had collected $1,500 per man from East Bay, he became irate, Creedon said. During a meeting at McKenna's house, Creedon testified that he told the young alderman, "I told him, 'My neck is out there.'. . . I told him the deal was $500 and that's it. . ." At a meeting several weeks later in Creedon's car outside a local junior high school, McKenna accepted an envelope with $500 in cash, Creedon testified. Alderman Joseph Macaluso said he was approached by Creedon several weeks before the board was to vote on the proposed home rule petition. "He said to me, 'Can I still count on you for support of the licenses at Assembly Square? . . . There's going to be money in it for you,' " Macaluso testified yesterday. Macaluso said he agreed to vote for the licenses because they were in Creedon's ward, but said he would not accept money for his vote. He testified that shortly after the vote, he refused an envelope from Creedon. Several months later, he said, he asked Creedon to sell some tickets for a campaign fundraiser. According to Macaluso, Creedon gave him $350, saying that $200 had come from Jack Collins and $150 had come from Creedon. Macaluso reported the contributions on his campaign disclosure forms filed at City Hall. During cross-examination, McKenna's attorney, Vincent Brognalia, painted Creedon as a liar. In addition to demanding more money than he planned to distribute from Callahan, Creedon admitted that he lied to Callahan at a meeting in February 1983, when he told the agent that he had already given McKenna a downpayment for his vote. McKenna wasn't given the money until several days later, Creedon testified. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission. Abstract (Document Summary) According to Timothy J. Creedon, who was sentenced to a year in prison for his role in a scheme to extort money from a developer seeking liquor licenses, aldermen Vincent Ciampa, [Alderman Joseph Macaluso] and Michael McKenna accepted money from him in exchange for their votes approving a home rule petition in February 1983. Former aldermen Frank Bakey and Alan Kenney were also paid for their votes, Creedon testified. Instead, Creedon said he pocketed most of the payoff, giving only $500 to each of five other aldermen, including McKenna. When McKenna learned that Creedon had collected $1,500 per man from East Bay, he became irate, Creedon said. Several months later, he said, he asked Creedon to sell some tickets for a campaign fundraiser. According to Macaluso, Creedon gave him $350, saying that $200 had come from [Jack Collins] and $150 had come from Creedon. Macaluso reported the contributions on his campaign disclosure forms filed at City Hall.