FILE — In this Sept. 6, 2019 file photo, Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia speaks to reporters outside the federal courthouse in Boston, following his appearance on bribery, extortion and fraud charges. Correia heads to trial in federal court in April 2021 on charges that he stole more than $230,000 from investors in a smartphone app he created to pay for things like a Mercedes, casino trips and adult entertainment. As mayor, he’s accused of convincing his chief of staff to give him half of her salary in order to keep her city job and extorting hundreds of thousands of dollars from marijuana businesses seeking to operate there.
The former Fall River, Massachusetts mayor who was convicted on corruption charges and sentenced to six years of prison lost his appeal in the First U.S. Court of Appeals, court records show.
The decision, filed Monday, affirmed the district court's decision, concluding that Jasiel Correia "was fairly tried and lawfully convicted by an impartial jury in a trial presided over by an able judge and unblemished by any reversible error."
Correia reported to a federal medium security prison in New Hampshire earlier this year, beginning his six-year sentence. That was after his date of imprisonment had been put off several times.
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The former mayor was convicted last year of 21 counts for defrauding investors in a smartphone app and for extorting money from marijuana companies. A judge ultimately dismissed 10 charges, leaving 11 convictions to stand.
Correia’s attorneys had previously argued he should be allowed to stay out of prison pending his appeal.
Correia, first elected at age 23, was seen as a rising political star until his arrest. He has maintained his innocence.
