COHASSET, Mass. — In a 2021 letter to a judge related to his sentencing for fraud, an apologetic Brian Walshe pledged to be loving, have integrity, and continue “to be in service to my wife and sons.”
“I am not a threat to any members of our society,” wrote Walshe in his letter dated Sept. 6, 2021 to Judge Douglas Woodlock. “My only declaration and intention is to be of service to our community and beyond. I am embarrassed that it took me this long to transform, but I am committed to continuing my purpose of being in contribution, leading by example and serving everyone I come in contact with.”
Walshe, 46, of Cohasset, is accused of misleading police in their investigation into the disappearance of his wife, Ana Walshe, a 39-year-old mother-of-three and a real estate professional who works in Washington D.C. She has been missing since New Year’s Day, and had been on her way to the nation’s Capitol for work when she disappeared.
Her husband faced a judge Monday and was ordered held on $500,000 bail. Brian Walshe smiled for news cameras as he appeared in court for his arraignment on charges of misleading police in the case.
Walshe was earlier convicted for fraud related to stealing and selling real and fake Andy Warhol paintings.
In his earlier, 2021 sentencing letter to a judge for his fraud conviction, Walshe detailed his attempts to better himself, and he apologized for his prior conduct.
“I am extremely sorry for my past conduct,” Walshe wrote at the time. “My sorrow is multifaceted. My conduct has led to others being hurt as well as to the misuse of our government’s resources that could have been focused to feed the hunger or shelter the homeless. My conduct has caused and created a world that lacks deep trust and psychological safety.”
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Walshe wrote at the time that he has been in a “training process” for two years “that supports all members of our community to be the best version of themselves.”
“This training has changed my life,” he wrote. “I have opened a new company where we train others on the foundations of trust, safety, inclusion, diversity and collaboration.”
“I have created a contract for myself: ‘I am an honest, courageous, loving leader.’ I repeat this contract to myself on a daily basis. I train everyday on 100% integrity, 100% of the time,” Walshe wrote.
When a doctor asked Walshe how he’d be able to “tell the judge, that I, as a medical professional, am sure that you will never break the law again?” Walshe wrote, “My answer was the following: Since January of 2020 I train daily on several distinctions of leadership. One of them is integrity.”
“Crime occurs from an incremental breakdown of one’s integrity,” Walshe wrote. “This can occur when one becomes attached to outcomes over process.”
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Walshe wrote he was working with a small group and was involved in one-on-one mentoring “that supports 100% integrity I now exemplify myself.”
“Whether it be speeding, omitting something from their taxes or being late to a meeting, I believe that how we do one thing is how we do everything,” Walshe wrote. “My point is not to be strict, but to be loving. To hold others at their highest potential. To let them know that one indiscretion that is not acknowledged will only lead to others.”
Prior to her disappearance, and in a letter to a federal judge in June 2022, Ana Walshe showed her support for her husband and praised him for his actions in teaching their three young children, who are between the ages of two and six, how to contribute to the community.
“Whether it was walking for World (Peace) Day in Dorchester, or stopping by the Pine Street Inn in Boston to drop off food and sanitary supplies, Brian has been teaching our young boys from early age how important it is to share the joy and be in contribution with time and resources,” Ana wrote at the time.
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Their three children are now in state custody.
Ana stands 5′2″ and weighs 115 pounds. She has brown hair, brown eyes, and an olive complexion. It is believed that she speaks with an Eastern European accent.
Anyone with information about Ana’s disappearance is urged to call Cohasset Police at 781-383-1055.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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