Why Carmen Ortiz is Making Beacon Hill Very Nervous

Think you’ve had a tense few weeks at work? Consider the potential targets of U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz’s probe into wrongdoing at the state’s Probation Department.

The Globe Spotlight Team and the Ware Report detailed the madness, absurdity, and outright corruption of the Probation Department. It’s tough to do it justice in a few words — rigged hiring, pay-to-play promotions, alleged quid pro quo between department leaders and legislators, and on and on.

On January 17, the Globe reported that the U.S. Attorney’s office had “essentially completed their investigation,” and indictments were imminent. Given the number of legislators mentioned prominently in the Ware Report, this had to be cause for concern.

Tick, tick, tick. Still waiting.

Ten days later, the Lowell Sun ratcheted up the pressure, stating that “two sitting senators and two sitting representatives could face criminal charges. Plus, one former state legislator and 10 outsiders could also face charges.”

Beacon Hill is still waiting for the U.S. Attorney to make her move.

Crossposted at Pioneer Institute’s blog.