Man at Root of Gaming Commission Ethics Probe Revealed

Massachusetts Gaming Commission Chairman Steve Crosby photo by UMASS Boston

The man that alleged Stephen Crosby violated state ethics laws as chairman of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission was actually an attorney close to the losing applicant for the lone eastern Massachusetts casino license.

Local attorney and Democratic power player Charles A. Baker III has been revealed by Commonwealth Magazine as the man behind the complaint.

The complaint alleged that Crosby failed to actually recuse himself from the licensing process after he said he did when a possible conflict of interest arose involving an Everett land deal. Crosby strongly contested the allegations of the complaint when it became public.

“I have rigorously adhered to all regulations and guidance provided to me by the State Ethics Commission over the last three years,” Crosby said at the time.

The complaint was later tossed by the State Ethics Commission after a formal review because of a “lack of evidence.”

When Baker sent the letter to the ethics commission in October 2014 he was an attorney at D.L.A. Piper working on behalf of the owners of Suffolk Downs. Baker has since moved on from D.L.A. Piper to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign where he is employed as the chief administrative officer. Baker is one of the founders of the high powered public affairs firm Dewey Square Group.