In Massachusetts, Middlesex County prosecutors have announced that they will not file criminal charges against State Senator James Marzilli. The announcement comes after prosecutors conducted an investigation into charges filed by a woman alleging that the senator had inappropriately touched her without her consent early in the morning on April 6.
Prosecutors say they interviewed the woman several times, as well as several witnesses that had seen Marzilli and the woman at a fundraiser a few hours before the alleged incident. The Middlesex district attorney’s office cited a lack of sufficient evidence to prove criminal charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
Senator Marzilli, 49, has always maintained that the accusations were false. He served in the House for 17 years before winning a special election last December to fill an empty spot in the Massachusetts Senate.
Whether you are an ordinary citizen, a public servant, or a high profile celebrity, your personal and professional reputations can suffer when you are wrongly accused of committing a sex crime. The convictions for sex crimes committed in Massachusetts are harsh.
This is why it is so important that you retain the services of an experienced Massachusetts sex crimes law firm that can investigate the accusations against you and aggressively defend you against criminal charges.
Under the Massachusetts General Laws, criminal penalties for an indecent assault and battery conviction include:
Chapter 265: Section 13H. Indecent assault and battery on person fourteen or older; penalties:
Section 13H. Whoever commits an indecent assault and battery on a person who has attained age fourteen shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than five years, or by imprisonment for not more than two and one-half years in a jail or house of correction.
No charges to be filed against Arlington state senator, Boston.com, May 13, 2008
Police investigate allegations that state senator assaulted woman, WBZ.com, April 8, 2008
Related Web Resources:
The General Laws of Massachusetts
State Senator James Marzilli, Mass.gov
If you are under investigation or have been accused of committing a sex crime in Massachusetts, contact Altman & Altman LLP for your free case evaluation with one of our Boston, Massachusetts criminal defense lawyers.