Press Release  Jury Convicts Millionaire Business Man of Forgery

Salem, MA — An 80-year old Hamilton man was convicted today by a jury on all counts related to a scheme in which he attempted to steal millions of dollars from his deceased son’s estate after 4 hours of deliberation.

John Donovan Sr. was convicted of 7 counts of Forgery, Uttering a False Document, False Statement in a Mortgage Process, Obtaining a Signature by False Pretense, False Statement under Penalty of Perjury, and Attempt to Commit Larceny.  Salem Superior Court Judge Salim Tabit will impose sentence on Monday, May 16^th at 10:00 am.

“The jury is to be commended for their hard work in understanding complicated evidence,”  said Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett.  “The general public relies upon the integrity of documents filed with the Registry of Deeds.  Thanks to the diligence and professionalism of the staff at the Registry, who raised concerns about the documents filed by Mr. Donovan, this fraudulent scheme failed.”

Southern Essex Registrar of Deeds John O’Brien said, “I am grateful to the Essex District Attorney’s Office for pursuing this case, not only for justice for the Donovan children but also to protect the integrity of the recordation system.”

During the 29-day trial, former First Assistant District Attorney John Dawley introduced evidence that proved that the defendant forged 25 documents, including will codicils, deeds, land transfers, mortgages, and releases of judgements against him at the Essex Registry of Deeds in December 2016.  The forged documents would have absolved the defendant of a Superior Court judgement against him, released the defendant from a mortgage, given the defendant land worth $5 million from his late son’s estate intended for a conservation group, and allowed the defendant to play a role in his grandchildren’s lives.  The defendant and his children are estranged and witness testimony indicated that the deceased son did not want his father to have anything to do with his family.

Dawley was assisted at trial by ADA Kathryn Janssen.

“I am grateful for the hard work of the trial team, especially Jack Dawley, who worked on this case for over 5 years even after he retired from the office,” DA Blodgett said.

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