Second Boston Official Charged

Timothy Sullivan, the mayor’s chief of staff for intergovernmental affairs, was arrested June 29, following a federal grand jury indictment, U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz’s office announced. He faces charges of conspiracy to extort a company and extortion, and was arraigned that day in Boston federal court.

Mayor Marty Walsh, a former labor union leader, has said he’s deeply concerned about the allegations, according to the Boston Herald.

“There is no room in my Administration for the type of behavior that is alleged here” Walsh said in a statement. “It is a great privilege to serve in City Hall and I will not allow anyone to squander that privilege.”

Sullivan’s arrest comes after Kenneth Brissette, director of the city’s Office of Tourism, Sports, and Entertainment, was arrested and charged with extorting the same company in May. Brissette pleaded not guilty and called the charge against him factually and legally flawed.

The two men are accused of pressuring the Boston Calling festival’s production company into hiring workers with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Local 11, by allegedly withholding required city permits and approvals in 2014.

The multi-day rock and pop music festival has taken place at City Hall Plaza in downtown Boston twice a year since it debuted in 2013.

Mayor Walsh also called for an independent ethics training program for department heads and has hired outside counsel to look into how city officials manage festivals and other large events.