Brian A. Joyce
Brian A. Joyce | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Massachusetts Senate from the Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth district | |
| In office January 1998 – January 2017 | |
| Succeeded by | Walter Timilty |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 5, 1962 Winchester, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | September 27, 2018 (aged 56) Westport, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Milton, Massachusetts |
| Alma mater | Boston College Suffolk University |
| Occupation | Politician, Lawyer |
Brian Augustine Joyce (September 5, 1962 – September 27, 2018) was an American politician who was a Massachusetts State Senator for the Democratic Party.[1] He served for nine terms, representing the Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth district, which includes Avon, Braintree Precincts 1A, 1B, 2A & 2B, Canton, East Bridgewater Precinct 4, Easton Precincts 3-6, Milton, Randolph, Sharon Precincts 2 & 3, Stoughton, and West Bridgewater.
On February 23, 2016, Joyce announced that he would not seek re-election to the Massachusetts State Senate for the next term.[2]
Senate career
During his tenure in the Senate, Joyce distinguished himself as a fierce advocate for the rights of disabled children and elderly citizens. He was credited with securing hundreds of millions of dollars for public schools in his district, and he was instrumental in the revitalization of the Neponset River and Blue Hills reservations.[2]
Joyce voted against public opinion on several major issues. In 2004, after Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage, Joyce preserved equal marriage rights by filibustering a bill that would have banned same-sex marriage.[3] At the time, Joyce explained his decision by stating that "I believe in an America where no religious body seeks to impose its will, directly or indirectly. Tradition as a rationale for discrimination is not persuasive."[4]
Brian Joyce strongly opposed the Judge Rotenberg Center during his tenure in office, and tried repeatedly to use his influence to shut it down. The Judge Rotenberg Center has been condemned for torture by the United Nations special rapporteur on torture.[5]
Committee memberships
During his last term in office, Joyce served on the following committees:
- Chair, Special Senate Committee to Improve Government[1]
- Vice Chair, Senate Committee on Redistricting[1]
- Joint Committee on Health Care Financing[1]
Ethics probes and criminal investigations
On February 17, 2016, the FBI and IRS conducted a raid at Joyce's Washington Street law office. Joyce was under scrutiny for various ethical improprieties alleged by Boston Globe reporters, including having his campaign fund pay for his son's high school graduation party and accepting free or discounted services from a dry cleaner in Randolph, Massachusetts. According to the FBI, the raid was part of a federal investigation, though no charges have been filed at that time.[6][7] The nature of the raid has again raised recurring questions about the close relationship between the Boston Globe and the office of Boston's U.S. Attorney, Carmen Ortiz.[8][9] Many of the Globe's allegations were proven inaccurate by other journalists, who expressed concern that the Globe may have knowingly printed misleading stories about Joyce.[10][11]
During the winter of 2016, The Boston Globe reported that the federal government has seated a grand jury to look into Joyce's conduct.[12]
Federal indictment
In December 2017, Joyce was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges he collected over $1 million in bribes and kickbacks that he laundered through his law office and another personal business.[13]
Legal experts have expressed doubt over the merit of the charges against Joyce, and many of the governments' allegations were later disproven.[11][10] Prosecutors' attempt to disqualify Joyce's attorney was met with alarm by members of the Boston legal community, who viewed it as an unprecedented infringement on a defendant's Sixth Amendment rights.[14][15] The ACLU, along with the Massachusetts Bar Association and dozens of individual Massachusetts attorneys, jointly filed an amici curiae brief defending Joyce's Constitutional right to counsel and rebuking the Government for its overreach.[16] The conduct of federal prosecutors in the case has exacerbated ongoing concerns over the legal ethics of the Boston U.S. Attorney's Office.[17][18]
Joyce pleaded not guilty in December 2017 to charges including racketeering, money laundering, mail fraud, conspiracy and scheming to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Joyce was released on a $250,000 bond.[19]
The 102-page indictment accuses Joyce of turning his law office into a criminal enterprise, going so far as to accept hundreds of pounds of free coffee from a local Dunkin' Donuts owner.[20]
In January 2018, Joyce's former accountant, John Nardozzi, was indicted on federal charges that he helped prepare and file false tax returns for Joyce, misclassifying over $2 million of personal expenses as business expenses, in order to reduce Joyce's tax burden.[21] In October 2019, Nardozzi was convicted by a jury of helping Joyce cheat the IRS out of approximately $600,000 in tax payments, and in January 2020, Nardozzi was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.[22]
On October 8, 2018, US Attorney Andrew Lelling announced that he had dismissed all criminal charges against Joyce, in light of his untimely death.[23]
Background and education
Joyce was born in Winchester, Massachusetts. He graduated from Milton High School in 1980. He received his bachelor's degree from Boston College School of Management in 1984, and he graduated magna cum laude from Suffolk University Law School in 1990. He practiced law in Milton, Massachusetts.[24][1]
Death
In the early morning hours of September 26, 2018, Joyce was involved in a single car crash when he reportedly swerved to avoid hitting a deer, crashing through a telephone pole, and finally stopping after hitting a fence.[25]
On September 27, 2018, Joyce was found dead in his home in Westport, with no foul play suspected.[26][25]
On December 4, 2018, Massachusetts state medical examiner's office reported Joyce's death was caused by an overdose of pentobarbital and ruled the manner of death was "acute pentobarbital intoxication" and remains undetermined, pending a “thorough death investigation.”[27]
Personal life
Joyce was a lifelong resident of Milton, Massachusetts, where he lived with his wife, Mary. They had five children.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Brian A. Joyce". The General Court (Massachusetts). Retrieved 2016-02-18.
- ^ a b "Sen. Joyce won't run again". MiltonTimes.com. 2016-02-23. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
- ^ "Massachusetts Lawmakers, After Heated Debate, Put Off Vote on Gay Marriage". NYTimes.com. 2004-02-13. Retrieved 2015-02-21.
- ^ "Gay Marriages in Mass. Survive Vote". LATimes.com. 2004-02-12. Retrieved 2015-02-21.
- ^ News, A. B. C. "UN Calls Shock Treatment at Mass. School 'Torture'". ABC News. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Valencia, Milton J.; Herndon, Astead; Estes, Andrea (2016-02-17). "FBI, IRS raid Canton law office of state Senator Brian Joyce". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
- ^ Atwater, John (2016-02-18). "FBI, IRS investigating Massachusetts state Sen. Brian Joyce". WCVB-TV. Hearst Stations Inc. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
- ^ Connolly, Matt. "US Attorney Carmen Ortiz Again Shows Her Gratitude to the Boston Globe". Trekking Toward The Truth. Retrieved 2016-02-23.
- ^ Connolly, Matt. "Carmen Ortiz's Big Error: Cooperating with the Boston Globe". Trekking Toward The Truth. Retrieved 2016-02-23.
- ^ a b "Questions raised over Globe's Joyce story". August 22, 2016.
- ^ a b Sullivan, Jack (September 7, 2016). "Joyce absolved of wrongdoing".
- ^ Estes, Andrea; Valencia, Milton J.; Ellement, John R. (2017-12-08). "Former state senator Brian Joyce indicted on federal charges". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
- ^ "Former state Senator Brian Joyce indicted on federal charges". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ "Issue Spot BBA Files Amicus Brief in U.S. v. Brian Joyce".
- ^ "Disqualification of Joyce's Counsel a Threat to Sixth Amendment". Wood & Nathanson, LLP.
- ^ https://www.massbar.org/docs/default-source/publications-document-library/ejournal/2017-18/04-02-18-joyce-motion-and-brief.pdf?Status=Temp&sfvrsn=2
- ^ Marans, Daniel (December 19, 2016). "Appeals Court Deals Rebuke To Controversial Prosecutor Who Targeted Aaron Swartz". HuffPost.
- ^ "US Attorney Lelling's abuse of power - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com.
- ^ Sweet, Laurel J. (2018-01-30). "Former state lawmaker Brian Joyce's partner nabbed on tax rap". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ "Hundreds of pounds of Dunkin' Donuts coffee part of bribery charges for Massachusetts state senator". Newsweek. 2017-12-09. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ Tiernan, Erin. "Accountant charged with helping ex-Sen. Brian Joyce defraud IRS". The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, MA. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ "Accountant who helped Brian Joyce evade taxes sentenced to 18 months in prison". The Boston Globe. 9 January 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
- ^ "Case dismissed against Brian Joyce after his death". Retrieved 2018-10-09.
- ^ "Brian Joyce Obituary - South Dartmouth, MA". Dignity Memorial.
- ^ a b Stout, Matt (2018-10-05). "Family of ex-senator Brian Joyce asks for donations to Innocence Project". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
- ^ "Former State Sen. Brian Joyce found dead". WCVB. 2018-09-27. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
- ^ Cotter, Sean Philip (2018-12-04). "State: Brian Joyce died of drug OD". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2018-12-05.