Former Fall River mayor Jasiel Correia II will remain in prison for his full sentence after a federal judge denied his bid for early release.
Correia, 32, is serving what Judge Allison Burroughs called a “generous” six-year sentence after being convicted of wire fraud and extortion worth more than $800,000. Before and during his time as mayor, Correia ran multiple schemes to fund a lifestyle of buying luxury clothing, cars, adult items, expensive trips to restaurants and vacations, repaying student debt and more.
In May, the former mayor petitioned for early release, claiming defense attorney Kevin Reddington had been ineffective and had extorted him. Federal prosecutors opposed the motion, saying Correia “was and remains unrepentant of his crimes.”
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Burroughs ruled on Wednesday that Correia “failed to meet his burden of demonstrating ‘extraordinary and compelling reasons’ that warrant a reduction in his sentence” — and added that Correia’s sentence was already light, given his crimes.
Correia is currently behind bars in FCI Ashland in Kentucky; he is due to be released in the summer of 2026.
Jasiel Correia ‘remains unrepentant’: Prosecutors say former mayor should serve his full prison sentence
Why did Jasiel Correia say he deserved early release?
Acting as his own attorney, Correia filed a motion in May requesting early release. His argument was that Reddington had botched his case and tried to extort him for $50,000 and a 20% portion of SnoOwl, a smartphone app company Correia founded.
Correia provided as evidence text messages between himself and Reddington that he claimed showed Reddington attempting to shake him down — Correia said his lawyer went so far as to threaten him with prison.
The texts appear to show Reddington negotiating the fee for representing Correia at what became a four-week trial in Boston. When Correia tells Reddington his family were “maxed out,” “living paycheck to paycheck” and unable to pay him for his services, Reddington allegedly replies, “I cannot try this case for a month with a month preparation for no compensation. It’s not fair to you or me.”
Reddington has blasted Correia’s characterization of the situation in previous interviews with The Herald News, calling Correia “a liar.”
Why the judge denied Jasiel Correia’s request
Burroughs noted in her five-page ruling that prison sentence reductions are sometimes granted “in cases where, for example, family circumstances or the defendant’s age or health make release appropriate” — but said that’s not the case with Correia.
“A motion for a sentence reduction is not the forum for litigating ineffective counsel claims,” she wrote.
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Burroughs also stated that, according to the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Correia could have been sentenced to 151 to 188 months. Trial Judge Douglas Woodlock sentenced Correia to just 72 months.
“Releasing Correia early, given his reasons stated in support and his already significantly below guideline sentence, would be inconsistent with the purposes of sentencing, including punishment and deterrence,” Burroughs wrote. “His crime was serious and warrants the arguably already generous sentence imposed.”
Correia was convicted in May 2021 of defrauding investors in his SnoOwl app before his time as mayor, and of using his mayoral authority to extort money from businessmen looking to open cannabis shops in Fall River. He was sentenced in September 2021, and after multiple delays reported to federal prison in April 2022.
Reddington has not yet responded to a request for comment.
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Former Fall River mayor Jasiel Correia’s bid for prison release denied
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