METHUEN — The City Council is expected to be asked on Monday to take a position on whether a renewed federal investigation into former Police Chief Joseph Solomon is warranted.
Although Solomon pleaded guilty to 17 charges including perjury and fraud last month, Mayor D.J. Beauregard and others have said many questions still remain about his conduct, that of others who were never charged, and why a previous federal investigation into police corruption in Methuen was halted.
Solomon gave six intermittent police officers with connections to him the same benefits as regular officers and committed other misconduct, prosecutors said.
Among other admissions, Solomon pleaded guilty to fraudulently attesting to former City Councilor Sean Fountain’s completion of a basic police training course.
Fountain was hired by Solomon despite lacking the required qualifications and pleaded guilty to fraud, perjury and other charges last year.
“Their convictions establish serious criminal wrongdoing,” city officials said in the letter. “However, they do not answer the full set of questions surrounding the 2017 police contracts, the favors that preceded or followed the approval of those contracts, Fountain’s appointment and continued service, or the conduct of others who have never faced charges.
“In the City’s opinion, those questions are substantial.”
Councilors are scheduled to discuss and potentially vote during Monday’s meeting on a resolution to authorize a letter calling on U.S. Attorney Leah Foley to reexamine evidence and reopen the investigation into Solomon. The resolution is sponsored by Councilor Mike Simard and Beauregard.
Through a deal with prosecutors, Solomon was sentenced to 30 days in jail and will also likely lose out on his city pension. The charge of perjury could have brought a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
The vote would mirror a previous decision by the council to show unity in the face of corruption, Simard said.
“The message is that Methuen deserves a full accounting of what happened,” Beauregard said in a comment to the Eagle Tribune. “We have an opportunity for our elected leadership to speak with one voice and ask the new U.S. Attorney to take a fresh look at the evidence, answer the questions that remain unanswered, and determine where the facts lead.”
The letter summarizes the recent conviction and where officials believe it fell short.
In another incident, local officials have said Solomon played a role in modifying a union contract without the knowledge of the city to boost annual pay for high-ranking officers in some cases to more than $400,000.
During his time working as an officer, Fountain made arrests, worked as detective and testified in at least one murder trial.
“While impersonating a duly qualified officer, he arrested and detained more than 40 people,” city officials said in the letter. “To those deprived of their liberty, these encounters were tantamount to kidnapping. The conduct of Solomon, Fountain, and numerous other unindicted co-conspirators in the state cases has exposed the City of Methuen to potentially disastrous civil liability for years to come.”
Solomon served as police chief for 18 years until departing in 2021.
“After everything this city has been through, I think presenting a united front on accountability is important,” Beauregard said.
The full letter can be found here: cityofmethuen.net/m/newsflash/home/detail/308