Degnan jury goes home for weekend

March 29--LAWRENCE -- The 1999 International trash truck that leaked oil was considered junk and obsolete by industry standards. But a prosecutor said yesterday, the tired truck was viewed as "political treasure" to Lawrence Mayor William Lantigua's administration.

Lantigua's former chief of staff, Leonard Degnan, has been on trial all week for allegedly pressuring a city contractor, Allied Waste, to donate the truck to sent to Tenares, a poor city in Lantigua' s native country of the Dominican Republic.

Degnan, of North Andover, is charged with bribery, extortion and conspiracy. Jurors got the case around 1 p.m. yesterday and will continue deliberations Monday morning.

In his closing argument yesterday, Prosecutor Michael Patten said the bribery, extortion and corruption case is not just about a trash truck. It's about "the cloud of political corruption over Lawrence" during then-Mayor Lantigua's administration. Degnan was Lantigua's "right hand" and he spoke to him on a daily basis, he said.

Patten urged jurors to find Degnan guilty on all charges, saying he used "cuteness" to criminally secure the trash truck. During a December 2009 meeting at Degnan's insurance company office, Degnan told Stanley Walczak, general manager of Allied Waste, he could void the city's three-year, $6.4 million waste disposal contract. Then Degnan hit up Walczak for two trash trucks to send to Tenares. Walczak managed to get one.

The meeting occurred before Lantigua was even sworn into office and Degnan was on the payroll as his chief of staff, Patten said.

"They are not even in office yet and they are trying to reward the people of Tenares, not the people of Lawrence," said Patten, noting Degnan told grand jurors "tons" of people from Tenares now live Lawrence. The trash truck was "political treasure" to "Team Lantigua." And Degnan was captain of the team, he said.

"There's just no way to get around the defendant's statements that put him squarely in the middle of all of this," Patten said.

But defense attorney Ted Cranney, in his closing argument, said Degnan had nothing to do with the trash truck deal. He pointed to Frank McCann, the city's now-retired public works director, who testified before both state and federal grand juries that Lantigua asked him to get a trash truck to send to Tenares. And to keep the deal "between them," Cranney said.

He urged jurors to look at copies of McCann's grand jury testimony closely. Neither McCann nor Lantigua took the stand during the trial, instead asserting their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination.

'He said, 'the mayor reached out to me,'" said Cranney, referring to McCann's testimony, which was read into evidence. "So who's doing this in secret? Lantigua and McCann. 'Keep it between us,'" Cranney added.

As the main witness for the prosecution, Walczak testified that Degnan asked him for two trash trucks after an initially "hostile" meeting at his insurance company office on Salem Street. Walczak testified he felt "threatened" and "squeezed" by Degnan's request.

However, Cranney said after Walczak was fired by Allied two years later, he went to work for Russell Disposal. And while employed by Russell, he tried to secure the trash contract with the city of Lawrence. Odd for a man who claimed he felt "extorted" by a Lawrence city official, Cranney said.

Cranney also said the government fell short in proving Degnan committed the crimes and reminded jurors the burden of proof is on prosecutors. "When the government points to the accusatory finger, you hold them to their A game," he said.

"You should find Leonard Degnan not guilty because Leonard Degnan is indeed not guilty," Cranney concluded.

The trial opened Monday, with prosecutors calling Walczak as their main witness, along with an Allied Waste maintenance manager, Rita Brousseau, the city of Lawrence purchasing agent, and Frank Coady of Coady's Towing. Degnan's federal and state grand jury testimony on the trash truck investigation was also read into evidence.

The defense called just one witness; Timothy Joyce, an Allied Waste executive. The bulk of the defense fell on McCann's grand jury tesitmony, which was read into evidence Thursday. Jurors do not know, however, that McCann and Lantigua invoked their Fifth Amendent rights against self-incrimination.

Lantigua, who was defeated for re-election by Daniel Rivera last fall, was the focus of a multi-jurisdictional investigation during his four years at City Hall. State and federal grand juries investigated allegations of corruption, including the trash truck donation, bid rigging, illegal car swaps, suspicious out-of-country travel and more.

Since leaving office, Lantigua is also under investigation for possibly using taxpaper money to pave city streets to bolster his chances of re-election.

If convicted of extortion, Degnan faces up to 15 years in prison, 2 1/2 years in Middleton Jail and a possible fine of $5,000, according to the specifications of the law.

The bribery charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison, 2 1/2 years in Middleton Jail and a fine of up to $10,000.

Charges of conspiracy, knowing solicitation of a bribe and unlawful use of an official position, carry maximum sentences of five years in state prison or 2 1/2 years in Middleton Jail and various fines.

Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter @EagleTribJill.

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