Former Mass. police chief pleads guilty to 17 charges tied to fraud, forgery, perjury

Former Methuen Police Chief Joseph Solomon pleaded guilty Friday to 17 charges stemming from allegations he misused his authority to secure positions and benefits for himself and others within the city’s police department. 

Solomon, who was once one of the highest-paid police chiefs in the nation, was sentenced to 2.5 years in the House of Corrections, with 30 days to serve and the remainder suspended for three years, Attorney General Andrea Campbell said in a press release. 

The charges include two counts of perjury by written affidavit, seven counts of obtaining unwarranted privileges in violation of the civil service laws, six counts of civil service law violations, one count of uttering a forged document, and one count of procurement fraud, according to Campbell. 

As part of the plea agreement, Solomon will also lose his license to carry a firearm, private investigator’s license, and city pension, Campbell said. 

The pension forfeiture is expected to reduce Methuen’s unfunded pension liability by about $3.7 million over the next 20 years, according to Methuen Mayor D.J. Beauregard. 

The city will also seek “every available avenue” to recover Solomon’s pension payments, amounting to approximately $1 million, since his retirement, Beauregard said. 

Solomon was placed on leave in December 2020 after the state inspector general released a 153-page report that found Solomon and other city officials helped draft contracts that would have provided him and senior officers with exorbitant salaries. Solomon announced his retirement shortly after. 

“So-called public servants who enrich themselves at the expense of the people they swear an oath to serve must be held to account, no matter how long it takes,” Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro said in a statement following Solomon’s guilty plea. 

Campbell’s office secured indictments against Solomon in 2023 following a joint investigation with the Essex District Attorney’s Office. 

The investigation determined Solomon appointed six part-time intermittent officers to full-time positions despite their lack of qualifications for those roles, violating civil service laws, Campbell said. 

One of those officers, Sean Fountain, had not graduated from a police academy. Solomon, however, represented Fountain as a civil service officer in annual reports required under state law, according to Campbell. 

“As a former Chief of Police myself, and as the chief law enforcement officer of Essex County, let me be clear: Misuse of any position of authority erodes the public’s trust and is unacceptable,” Essex District Attorney Paul F. Tucker said in a statement. “My office will always seek to hold individuals accountable.” 

Solomon’s attorneys did not respond to a request for comment Sunday afternoon. 

“Massachusetts communities rely on their police chiefs to make the best decisions for the safety and security of residents,” Campbell said. “Former Chief Solomon broke that trust by misusing his authority to elevate unqualified officers, putting residents’ wellbeing at risk.”  

Beauregard said he believes “unfinished business” remains. The federal investigation into Solomon was closed in late 2024, and Beauregard said he wants the investigation reopened to determine whether other people were involved. 

Beauregard also said Solomon’s short sentence is “an outrage,” though prosecutors expressed that a longer sentence was not possible in the negotiated agreement. 

“No prison sentence or amount of jail time served by Solomon can undo the damage Solomon caused to the people of Methuen,” Beauregard said, “but today brings convictions on every charge, millions in projected taxpayer savings, and actual incarceration.”