BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS (BNO NEWS) – A former Stoughton, Massachusetts police detective pleaded guilty on Tuesday to charges of obstruction of justice and making false statements to the FBI in a public corruption investigation entered on the activities of various members of the Stoughton Police Department, prosecutors said.

Anthony Bickerton, 60, recently resigned from the Stoughton Police Department on September 11, 2009. The prosecutors said that Bickerton allegedly made false statements and representations during the course of an FBI interview on July 15, 2009.

Furthermore, Bickerton obstructed justice when he attempted to hide evidence at another officer’s residence in Stoughton on September 1.

“Mr. Bickerton’s actions are an affront to the many honest men and women in the law enforcement community who serve the public with dedication and integrity,” said U.S. Attorney Ortiz.

Bickerton could face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for May 11.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS (BNO NEWS) – A Brazilian man was convicted in a Boston federal court on one count of criminal conspiracy and three counts of smuggling illegal aliens for commercial gain, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Jose Neto, 43, was a member of an operation that smuggled men from Brazil into the United States between 2003 and March 2005. The Brazilian aliens were asked to pay a fee of $10,000.

Neto’s role in the operation was to provide the financial support. He also collected the fees and employed the illegals in a cleaning service.

The defendant faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison for each of the smuggling counts and 5 years for the conspiracy to a maximum total of 50 years.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) – Republican Senator Scott Brown on Thursday was sworn in as the United States Senator from Massachusetts, causing Democrats to lose their supermajority.

Senator Brown, 50, is now the Junior United States Senator from Massachusetts, replacing the late Senator Edward Kennedy, who held his seat for 46 years. Brown became the first Republican elected to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts since 1972.

He won the seat after trailing Martha Coakley, the Massachusetts Democratic Senate candidate, for several weeks by a large margin until he closed the gap in the first weeks of January 2010 before going on to win the election.

Brown’s state political experience consists of nearly three terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and three terms in the Massachusetts Senate.

Although he has been labeled by many a liberal or moderate Republican, he has voted about 90 percent of time with state Republican leadership. Brown describes himself as socially moderate and fiscally conservative.

While Brown supported the 2006 Massachusetts health care reform, which required all residents to purchase health insurance, he does not support President Obama’s health care reform plan in its current form. He has stated that he believes the plan is fiscally unsound, and during his campaign notably pledged to be the 41st vote to filibuster the bill in the senate.

He is serving with John Kerry, the senior U.S. Senator from Massachusetts.

Senator Brown’s election creates a point of contingency for the Obama administration’s legislative agenda as Brown’s seating means the loss of the Democratic supermajority – something that may have significant impact as the November Senate elections approach.

BOSTON (BNO NEWS) – Massachusetts Republican Senator-elect Scott Brown will likely be sworn into office Thursday afternoon, a spokesperson for U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on Wednesday.

Brown won the seat of the late Senator Edward ‘Ted’ Kennedy last month in the typically Democratic state of Massachusetts. Brown stated that he did not want to be sworn in before February 11th, but faced criticism from conservatives for the delay.

A spokesman for U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said, “assuming we have the correct paperwork, he could be sworn in as early as tomorrow afternoon.”

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick will convene the Governor’s Council at 9:30 a.m. Thursday morning to certify the results of the U.S. Senate special election, confirming Brown as the winner – allowing him to be sworn in later that afternoon.

“This will ensure that Senator-elect Brown’s request to receive the final paperwork by 11:00 a.m. tomorrow is fulfilled,” a spokesperson for the Governor said.

Brown beat Martha Coakley in the special election held to replace Senator Kennedy who had passed away in August 2009. The surprising win in a largely blue state drew national attention due to Brown’s unexpectedly closing the gap in the last few days of the campaign.

Brown’s win creates a point of contingency for Barack Obama’s legislative agenda due to the loss of the Democratic super-majority.

BOSTON (BNO NEWS) – Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick on Thursday announced his plan to protect education aid in State of the Commonwealth address.

Tonight, in his third State of the Commonwealth address to the citizens of Massachusetts, Governor Deval Patrick detailed his plan to build a stronger Commonwealth in the midst of the global economic crisis. The Governor connected the work he has done and the services the state provides with the direct impact it has on the people.

“Governing for people, the ways your government can help you help yourselves, is why we come to work every day. By investing in people, by making it personal, we are building a better, stronger Commonwealth for all of us,” said Governor Patrick.

The Governor also announced that in his Fiscal Year 2011 budget, he will fully Chapter 70 education aid at a record $4.084 billion. This announcement comes on the heels of the Governor signing legislature on Monday that will fund underperforming schools.

(Eds: Updates official results. Results will be updated every 10 minutes.)

BOSTON (BNO NEWS) — Republican Scott Brown was leading in preliminary official results after polls closed in the U.S. Senate special election in Massachusetts on Tuesday.

At 8.50 p.m. EST, nearly an hour after polls closed in the state, 618 out of 2,168 precincts reported their results. Republican Scott Brown led with 331,843 votes (53 percent), followed by Democrat Martha Coakley with 294,090 votes (47 percent). Independent candidate Joseph Kennedy received 6,044 votes, or about 1 percent.

Polls closed at 8 p.m. EST, bringing the special election in Massachusetts to a close, but marking the start of a possibly long election night. The seat is currently held by an appointee, Senator Paul Kirk, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, who is not a candidate in the election to complete the term.

“Thank you for your support and hard work throughout this campaign,” said Democratic nominee Martha Coakley on her Twitter profile, minutes after polls closed.

Later, Scott Brown also posted comments on his Twitter profile. “This was an amazing campaign and I appreciate your support. You were incredible,” Brown wrote.

A party primary election determining the winners of party nominations occurred on December 8, 2009. The Democratic Party nominated Martha Coakley, the Massachusetts Attorney General, The Republican Party nominated Scott Brown, a Massachusetts State Senator. Joseph L. Kennedy, a member of the Libertarian party, with no relation to the Kennedy family, is running as an independent candidate in the election.

The race drew national attention due to Brown’s unexpectedly closing the gap and becoming the front-runner in the final days of the U.S. senate race in recent independent and internal polling.

Another reason for the large amount of attention to this election is because of the significant impact it has on health care reform in the United States, as the Senate seat could change the dynamic of President Obama’s strategy in Congress.

BOSTON (BNO NEWS) — Polls in the Massachusetts U.S. Senate special election will close at the top of the hour, at 8 p.m. EST. An urgent story from BNO News will be filed shortly, followed by election night coverage.