The latest alleged law enforcement misconduct in Mass, Jan. 18-31

Here are the media reports of alleged law enforcement misconduct in Massachusetts that I’ve tracked during the last two weeks.

First, here are the incidents involving federal law enforcement, including immigration agents:

• “Newly unsealed court documents show the Trump administration did not have evidence that Tufts University PhD student Rümeysa Öztürk was supporting terrorist activity when she was arrested and her visa was revoked, and the action was taken because of an opinion article she wrote that contained criticisms of Israel.” (CNN)
• “A federal judge in Boston on [January 23] ordered the immediate release of a woman who requires daily insulin shots for her diabetes after [Trump] regime lawyers provided no assurances she could get them in a for-profit ICE ‘processing center’ in Basile, LA. And in an order [on January 26], the judge said the regime has to fly her back to Massachusetts.” (Universal Hub)
• “A federal judge in Boston [on January 29] ordered the regime to start notifying immigrants it is grabbing who have been in the US for awhile that they have a right to immediately seek release on payment of a bond - and if a Justice Department functionary serving as an ‘immigration judge’ tells them otherwise, they have the right to ask a federal judge to order a bond hearing, as the judges have been doing for months now. US District Court Judge Patti Saris issued the order after learning that … immigration judges - who are Justice Department employees, not independent judges - were denying bond hearings to immigrants who had been grabbed by ICE in Massachusetts but who had not filed a habeas-corpus motions with the real judges in federal court.” (Universal Hub)
• “Massachusetts immigration advocates sued the Trump administration in federal court on [January 30] over a policy that allows for immigration agents to enter private homes without a warrant. … Lawyers for Civil Rights filed suit on behalf of organizational plaintiffs Brazilian Worker Center and Greater Boston Latino Network. They allege the memo was illegally issued, in violation of the Administrative Procedures Act, and unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment, which bars searches and seizures without a warrant.” (GBH)

And here are the stories involving state and local law enforcement:

• “In March, hearings with potentially wide-ranging ramifications are scheduled to play out over multiple weeks in Middlesex Superior Court that could set the groundwork for hundreds of thousands of convictions to be thrown out. At issue is how far problems at the lab spread beyond the chemist Annie Dookhan, who for years was labeled the ‘sole bad actor’ who willfully tampered with drug samples. Court filings from recent years show the state office of the inspector general referred at least four other Hinton lab employees for criminal prosecution to the attorney general’s office in the years following Dookhan’s arrest. None was ever criminally charged, and the referrals remained secret until Middlesex prosecutors found them in IOG documents ordered turned over in 2022. Per judicial ethics rules, the prosecutors were required to disclose the referrals.” (Boston Globe; paywalled)
• “[New Bedford] police officer [William Mouyos] is facing a 15-day suspension for excessive force after punching and pepper spraying a juvenile suspect, issuing false statements about the incident, and violating the department’s body-worn camera policy.” (New Bedford Light)
• “Did a Brockton school cop fake timesheets? … Darnell E. Campbell was scheduled to go on trial in Hingham District Court on Wednesday, Jan. 21. But his attorney, Bill Connolly, told Judge Francis V. Kenneally that he and prosecutors have ‘spoken extensively’ and that ‘we don’t think we need much more time’ to reach a deal that avoids a jury trial.” (Enterprise; paywalled)
• “Former Massachusetts State Police detective Michael Proctor has filed a formal response in federal court to a civil lawsuit brought by Karen Read. … In the 25-page filing submitted on January 16, 2026, Proctor denies allegations that he spearheaded a ‘corrupt and biased’ investigation, while admitting to several controversial procedural decisions that have long been the focus of public scrutiny.” (Boston 25 News)
• “A Massachusetts State Police lieutenant who headed up the detective unit that investigated Karen Read asked a federal judge to dismiss the civil rights claims she brought against him in a sprawling lawsuit, arguing that even if her accusations were true, she failed to make a viable claim against him. Brian Tully, who headed up the State Police detective unit assigned to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s office until 2024, is one of eight defendants in a civil rights lawsuit Read filed [in fall 2025].” (MassLive)
• “The trial of a former Stoughton police officer will be held in Massachusetts, against the officer’s request to move it out of state. In a ruling released [January 23], Chief U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper wrote that the media coverage of the charges against Matthew Farwell didn’t warrant moving the upcoming trial. … Farwell is charged in federal court with killing 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore in 2021 to cover up their sexual relationship, which allegedly began when she was underage.” (WCVB)
• “A State Police trooper has been suspended without pay as he faces domestic assault charges for allegedly choking his former girlfriend multiple times during their relationship. Wendel Seney, 32, is charged with strangulation or suffocation, two counts of assault and battery on a family or household member, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, and a firearm possession felony, court records show.” (Boston.com)
• “There will be no criminal charges for any of the officers involved in the case of a local man [Francis Gigliotti] who died while being restrained by police in Haverhill, Massachusetts, this summer, Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker announced on [January 27]. … Gigliotti’s family, which previously announced plans to file a civil lawsuit against the city of Haverhill, said in a statement shared by attorney Timothy Bradl that it was ‘disappointed, but not surprised,’ vowing to fight for justice.” (NBC10 Boston)
• “Over more than a decade, Sgt. Michael Ingalls of the East Longmeadow Police Department collected $35,000 in bonus pay he was not entitled to. … The report, by Boston-based Discrimination and Harassment Solutions, found that Ingalls received a bonus for officers with certain college degrees, a pay incentive for which Ingalls did not qualify. He was suspended for 30 days without pay and required to make a $7,000 restitution payment to the town.” (Republican)
• “A Massachusetts State Police trooper has been relieved of duty after he was charged with kidnapping and assaulting his then-girlfriend. Joseph Ward, 25, was ordered held without bail [January 28] pending a Feb. 2 dangerousness hearing. He has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping, domestic assault and battery, aggravated witness intimidation, and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon.” (Boston.com)
• “An Attleboro patrolman has been arrested in North Attleboro for alleged drunken driving. Nathan M. Gale, 29, of North Attleboro, was arrested early [January 29] on Eddy Street in North Attleboro, a police report filed with Attleboro District Court said. Gale was charged with operating under the influence — liquor, and negligent operation of a motor vehicle.” (Sun Chronicle)

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Anyway, that’s all for now.