Rep. Chris Flanagan attends a House Democratic caucus on Jan. 4, 2023. Photo by Chris Lisinski | State House News Service
Federal prosecutors on Friday expanded the criminal case against Rep. Christopher Flanagan, adding charges that he laundered stolen money through his campaign account, filed false tax returns and used misappropriated funds for personal expenses like “psychic services,” menswear and a home air conditioner.
The indictment supersedes charges federal prosecutors made last year. The new indictment unsealed Friday charges the Dennis Democrat with eight counts of wire fraud, one count of money laundering, one count of falsification of records and three counts of filing false tax returns, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley’s office said.
Flanagan, 38, was charged in April 2025 with five counts of wire fraud and one count of falsification of records. He pleaded not guilty at that time and has continued to serve in the House, despite calls to resign from fellow lawmakers and the governor.
Prosecutors said he will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date on the expanded indictment.
The new charges significantly broaden the government’s allegations against the second-term representative, who serves the First Barnstable District communities of Brewster, Dennis and portions of Yarmouth.
Before his election to the House, Flanagan served from 2019 through mid-2024 as executive officer of the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Cape Cod, a trade organization representing more than 300 members of the region’s building industry.
Prosecutors Claim Theft of Association Funds
Prosecutors allege that Flanagan, who had signatory authority over the association’s bank accounts and reported to its board, used that position to siphon money from HBA accounts while facing mounting personal financial problems, including overdue mortgage payments, credit card debt and bank overdraft fees.
“According to the superseding indictment, from in or about November 2021 to January 2023, Flanagan stole more than $36,000 in HBA funds” through transfers and checks deposited into his personal accounts, prosecutors said Friday. The indictment also alleges he stole an additional $7,287 from another association bank account between February 2021 and December 2023.
Federal prosecutors allege Flanagan used “the majority of the stolen funds to pay personal mortgage bills, to pay down thousands of dollars in credit card debt and to make other personal expenditures.”
Among the newly detailed allegations, Foley’s office said Flanagan used association funds to pay for “personal psychic services” in July 2022 through direct debit transactions from the builders group’s bank account.
The superseding indictment also alleges Flanagan submitted falsified expense reports to the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Cape Cod after the organization’s board questioned missing funds.
According to prosecutors, Flanagan claimed certain purchases were legitimate business expenses when they actually included personal items such as “an electric dryer and an air conditioner, both delivered to Flanagan’s home,” more than $1,000 in Macy’s purchases for “men’s ties, dress shirts, slacks and sports coats,” and Target purchases for children’s clothing and toys.
Federal authorities additionally accused Flanagan of failing to report the allegedly stolen money on his personal tax returns for 2021, 2022 and 2023, and of failing to disclose rental income on his 2023 return.
New Charges Include Money Laundering
The new indictment also adds a money laundering charge tied to prosecutors’ allegation that Flanagan transferred $10,000 in stolen funds through his personal bank account into his campaign account in January 2023 in order to conceal the source of the money.
“It is alleged that Flanagan’s bank statements from the time of the deposit in January 2023 would reflect that he could not have issued the $10,000 campaign check without his theft of HBA money – showing a beginning balance of approximately $42.28 just one week before depositing the stolen funds,” Foley’s office said.
It continues, “In response, Flanagan allegedly provided [the Office of Campaign and Political Finance] with falsified expense reports that claimed that: the $10,000 check from HBA constituted legitimate HBA-reimbursed expenses; that HBA had a practice of allowing Flanagan to withdraw large sums of money for the purpose of expense reimbursement; and therefore, the $10,000 campaign check was a legitimate donation of Flanagan’s own personal funds.”
Friday’s filing also revisits allegations from last year surrounding a 2022 campaign mailer sent under the name “Conservatives for Dennis,” which first drew scrutiny from OCPF.
Prosecutors allege Flanagan obstructed the OCPF investigation by inventing a fictitious person named “Jeanne Louise,” who he claimed belonged to an independent conservative group supporting his candidacy. According to the indictment, Flanagan also created fake emails purporting to come from vendors involved in producing and distributing the mailer.
In 2024, campaign finance regulators concluded that Flanagan violated campaign finance law and lied to investigators about the source of the mailer and related spending.
Speaker’s Office Promises Investigation Once Trial Ends
Flanagan’s lawyers could not be reached for comment on Friday. House Speaker Ron Mariano, who has not joined the previous calls for the representative to resign, did not return a request for comment. A Mariano spokesperson pointed out that House Ethics Chair Kate Lipper-Garabedian said last April that the Ethics Committee will conduct an investigation into Flanagan when judicial proceedings are over.
Flanagan was first elected to the House in 2022 after serving on the Dennis Select Board.
Federal prosecutors said Flanagan earned roughly $97,546 and $100,945 from his legislative salary in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
“The details contained in the charging documents are allegations,” Foley’s office said Friday. “The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
