He is also accused of using another $537 in association funds to pay for campaign T-shirts in 2022, claiming the money was for “office supplies.” Federal authorities said he also used the cash to pay down credit card and mortgage bills, buy an electric dryer and air conditioner, and make an array of other purchases, including ties, dress shirts, and children’s toys.
Flanagan also stole hundreds of dollars from the association’s bank account to pay for “personal psychic services” in July 2022, according to the indictment.
Governor Maura Healey, the Massachusetts Republican Party, and others quickly called for Flanagan to step down from his seat. He is scheduled to appear Friday in federal court in Boston on five counts of wire fraud and one count of falsification of records, according to the Massachusetts US Attorney’s office.
“These are serious allegations against Representative Flanagan that threaten to undermine the important work of the Legislature and cast doubt on his ability to faithfully serve his constituents. He should resign,” Healey, a Democrat, said in a statement.
Massachusetts US Attorney Leah B. Foley said in a separate statement that Flanagan orchestrated an “appalling breach of public trust” and went to great lengths to cover the alleged fraud.
“Mr. Flanagan defrauded the very organization he was supposed to serve,” Foley said. “This alleged scheme was calculated on every level. No one is entitled to power by way of fraud, and the people of Massachusetts deserve better.”
Flanagan resigned from the trade association in May, including after state campaign finance regulators separately fined him $15,000 for violations tied to his successful 2022 campaign.
The Office of Campaign and Political Finance said Flanagan had created an alias known as “Jeanne Louise” to hide his role in paying for a mailer in support of his campaign that purportedly came from a group called “Conservatives for Dennis.”
In winning the First Barnstable District in the fall of 2022, Flanagan flipped a seat long held by Republicans. Flanagan last year fended off a challenge from Gerald O’Connell, a Yarmouth Republican.
According to the US Attorney’s office, Flanagan provided OCPF with falsified expense reports, claiming that the $10,000 he received from the trade group were legitimate HBA-reimbursed expenses, and that the trade group had a “practice of allowing Flanagan to withdraw large sums of money for the purpose of expense reimbursement.”
Flanagan deposited $10,000 into his campaign account in early February 2023, calling it a personal “candidate loan.” But authorities said he could not have given his campaign that type of money without taking it from the Home Builders association. His personal Bank of America Account had a balance of just $42.28 as of Jan. 20, according to the indictment.
Flanagan, who made up to $81,600 as the association’s executive officer, had money troubles as early as the fall of 2021, according to the US Attorney’s office.
He had racked up, according to authorities, thousands of dollars in outstanding credit card debt, missed mortgage payments, and hundreds of dollars in bank overdraft fees. Federal authorities charged that he began stealing from the association that November.
Flanagan later tried to cover his tracks in the spring of 2024 by logging into the association’s accounting and bookkeeping software using another employee’s account, and entering backdated transactions as “office supplies,” “travel” or “bank charges,” according to the US Attorney’s office.
Greg Henning, Flanagan’s attorney, said in a phone call Friday that he was still gathering information about the indictment.
State Senator Julian Cyr, a Provincetown Democrat who helps represent the Cape with Flanagan, said in a statement Friday that Flanagan should resign.
“These are serious charges and the criminal justice system must respect the principle of presumed innocence. However, this news casts a shadow on the good work of the Legislature,” Cyr said. “I do not see how Chris can continue to serve the people of Brewster, Dennis, and Yarmouth. For the good of his constituents and his family, he must resign.”
House Minority Leader Bradley Jones also called on Flanagan to resign, saying he had “betrayed his oath of office.”
“If he refuses to do so, then Speaker [Ron] Mariano should immediately authorize and direct the House Ethics Committee to begin proceedings in this matter,” the North Reading Republican said, adding he had sent a letter to Mariano in January asking for such a probe.
Mariano said in a statement that House officials learned of Flanagan’s arrest through media reports. He did not call for Flanagan to step down, saying that the chamber would “continue to monitor the legal process as it plays out, and will take the appropriate steps if necessary to ensure accountability.”
“While every American is entitled to due process, the charges that have been brought against Representative Flanagan are extraordinarily concerning, and undermine public trust in the Legislature,” said Mariano, a Quincy Democrat.
Police on Cape Cod disclosed this year that federal authorities took over the investigation into Flanagan after the Cape-based trade association filed a complaint accusing him of misappropriating tens of thousands of dollars in what it called a “potential fraudulent use” of one of its accounts.
Association officials had said they discovered “inconsistencies” with a business account, according to a September police report. A person at the association, whose name was redacted from the police report, “met with Flanagan several times to speak about the misappropriated funds but has not been able to get a reasonable answer from him,” police said.
Matt Stout can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @mattpstout.
