Rollins: Many 'Longed' for Fall River Ex-Mayor's Imprisonment

FALL RIVER — After several delays, former Fall River mayor Jasiel Correia will have to report to prison Friday following a decision from a federal appeals court earlier this week — and U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins hailed the order as "what so many have longed to hear."

Correia was convicted last May on 21 counts of fraud and extortion for defrauding investors in his app company and extorting marijuana companies as Fall River's mayor.

Although federal judge Douglas Woodlock threw out 10 of the charges, in September 2021 Correia was sentenced on the remaining convictions to six years in prison.

He was meant to begin his sentence on Dec. 3, 2021.

But Woodlock has pushed back the date six times since then, first to allow Correia to spend the holidays with his new wife and her family at their Fall River restaurant, and later due to COVID and to get documents in order for an appeal.

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On Wednesday, the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals denied another postponement of Correia's report date.

Following the order that Correia report to the medium security federal prison in New Hampshire tomorrow, U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Rachael Rollins released a statement on Wednesday touting the decision.

“After six delays, today’s order from the First Circuit declares what so many have longed to hear in the case against former Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia — he will begin his prison sentence in the coming days," Rollins commented.

"Although we cannot erase the impact Jasiel Correia’s conduct and subsequent legal battle has had on the City and constituents he swore to honestly serve, this ruling marks the next step in bringing justice to the people of Fall River and the many others who fell victim to his corruption.”

See How Much This Fall River Intersection Has Changed in a Decade

Well this is surely a blast from the past. While exploring Google Maps' street view feature recently, I came across an old still from 2012 mixed in with the more recent ones. It showed an almost decade-old look at Fall River's New Harbour Mall, which is now dead and has been replaced by the stores at the SouthCoast Marketplace. The more I looked around the intersection on William Canning Boulevard, the more I began to see remnants of the past, some that may now be long-forgotten for some. This Fall River intersection has changed so much in the past near-decade, but if you're needing a little look in the rearview to see how far it's come, check out some of the following stills.