Located in Springfield, the Attorney General’s Western Massachusetts Regional Office (WMAS) includes lawyers, labor inspectors, consumer mediators, civil investigators, Medicaid fraud investigators, administrative staff, and a State Police unit that is familiar with the area and can assist residents with their concerns and questions.
The Western Massachusetts Regional Office prosecutes cases that affect the region and the state. This past month, staff from the WMAS of Attorney General Martha Coakley’s Civil Rights Division obtained a final judgment by consent and permanent civil rights injunction against Roman and Jesse Jedrezczyk, for their repeated harassment and intimidation of a Haitian refugee and her daughters in Holyoke. Criminal Bureau staff in the WMAS office also recently secured indictments against a South Hadley man and a former East Longmeadow man for allegedly not paying taxes on illegally sold cigarettes. In total, the defendants are accused of defrauding the Commonwealth of nearly $313,000 in excise taxes. Recently, with the assistance of WMAS Medicaid fraud investigators, the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Division obtained the conviction of a Russell woman for overbilling the state’s Medicaid program, resulting in a restitution payment of $57,000.
Regional offices also work closely with the community to address areas of specific concern. In order to advance local neighborhood revitalization efforts, the Attorney General’s Abandoned Housing Initiative utilizes staff in the WMAS Regional Office to help communities respond to the increased number of abandoned properties caused by the foreclosure crises. Protecting consumers, particularly the elderly, from scams and identity theft through collaborative education and outreach efforts throughout the region also continues to be a priority for regional staff.
Please visit the Regional Office section of the AGO website to locate the office in your area.
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