BOSTON — An associate of the recently convicted former mayor of Fall River has been sentenced for his role in a scheme to extort money from marijuana vendors.
Federal prosecutors said Hildegar Camara was sentenced Wednesday to three years of probation, including 18 months of home confinement. The 60-year-old Camara will also have to perform 150 hours of community service for each year of his probation.
Authorities sat Camara worked as a middleman for former Mayor Jasiel Correia, helping him obtain bribes from individuals who were working to open marijuana businesses in the area.
Correia, now 29, was convicted in May of soliciting the bribes and stealing money from investors in a smartphone app to bankroll his lavish lifestyle. Correia was first elected at age 23 on promises to turn the struggling mill city around.
Hildegar is a former county workforce development official. Prosecutors said his testimony was critical in their successful prosecution of Correia, who is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 20.