By Tom Matthews
masslive.com
BOSTON — The Administration and Finance Director in Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s office was arraigned Friday on charges of money laundering in connection with an alleged prison drug smuggling scheme.
Boston 25 News broke the news that Freda Brasfield was arraigned in Woburn Superior Court Friday on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Brasfield was arraigned along with Jaime Liberty and Jayleen Rivera, both of whom are also facing charges of conspiring to smuggle drugs into MCI Shirley.
Brasfield was arraigned before Judge Daniel Flaherty and was represented by David E. Meier. She pleaded not guilty to both charges, court records showed.
The Boston official was indicted on Dec. 15, 2022, court records showed.
According to Boston 25, the charges are in connection with an alleged conspiracy to smuggle synthetic cannabinoids known as K2 and Spice into MCI Shirley.
“Prosecutors say it involved four inmates, including Brasfield’s nephew, and five ‘non-incarcerated relations or significant others,’ including Freda Brasfield,” Boston 25 reported.
Manuel “Junior” Dasilva, a former MCI Shirley inmate, worked with the nine co-defendants to get synthetic drugs inside the prison, the news outlet reported.
Brasfield is accused of using Cash App, a money transfer application, to finance the illegal sale of the synthetic drugs, the Boston Globe reported.
The finance director was placed on unpaid administrative leave Friday after officials learned of the charges, the paper reported.
Brasfield was released on personal recognizance. Her case is due back in court on March 1 for a scheduling conference, court records said.
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