Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia withdraws request to repay investors

FALL RIVER, Mass. — The mayor of Fall River has withdrawn a request to pay back the investors he is accused of defrauding.

Mayor Jasiel Correia was arrested in October for charges of wire fraud and filing false tax returns.

Last month, Correia asked a judge for permission to contact the investors he's accused of stealing from, but on Tuesday he filed a motion withdrawing that request.

Prosecutors are calling the timing suspicious, saying the judge proposed that Correia transfer $306,000 to a fund controlled by the court until the case is over.

They say Correia rejected that offer and say he made the request after a recall election was announced.

Voters in Fall River will vote in that election next Tuesday.

Cox Media Group