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Chicopee School Super’s Text Threat Hoax Lands Her $1K Fine, Probation
BOSTON – Former Chicopee Public Schools Superintendent Lynn Clark, 53, of Belchertown, was sentenced yesterday for making false statements in connection with sending 99 threatening messages to a candidate for Chicopee Police Chief.
Lynn Clark, 53, of Belchertown, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to serve one year of probation and pay a $1,000 fine. In January 2024, Clark pleaded guilty to two counts of making false statements.
“In a relentless effort to evade accountability, Ms. Clark’s actions and lies not only harmed innocent people and tarnished the reputation of Chicopee, but also sowed chaos and wasted invaluable investigative resources,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “She abused her position of trust as a community leader to engage in a series of baseless accusations and to weave a web of intricate lies. Ms. Clark’s scheme led to months of needless stress for the City and halted its crucial search for a Chief of Police. Additionally, her lies resulted in hundreds of hours of wasted investigation as she pointed the finger at completely innocent people,”
“Former Chicopee School Superintendent Lynn Clark failed to lead by example when she falsely claimed she was a victim of a crime and then repeatedly lied to the FBI,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “In doing so, she caused unnecessary stress and reputational harm to those she accused, and wasted hundreds of hours of investigative resources,”
According to the investigation, in December 2021, the City of Chicopee was in the process of hiring a new Police Chief. On Dec. 3, 2021, law enforcement received a report that a candidate for the position was receiving threats intended to force the victim to withdraw their application for Chicopee Police Chief. In November 2021, after submitting their application for Police Chief, the victim received numerous text messages from unknown numbers containing threats to expose information that would cause the victim reputational harm.
Clark, a former community leader, purchased fictitious phone numbers through a mobile app and sent the threatening messages to the victim. Clark made false statements to law enforcement denying that she had downloaded a mobile app with which she purchased the fictitious phone numbers to send the messages. Clark later admitted that she did indeed send the messages and downloaded the app.
Clark also falsely accused at least five other innocent individuals, including the victim’s fellow police officers, a City employee, and her own son, of sending the threatening text messages.
The investigation revealed that phone and internet records showed Clark’s accounts sent each of the threatening messages, which led to months of unnecessary stress for the City and halted the hiring process for Chicopee Police Chief.
The sentence serves as a reminder that willfully lying to federal agents will result in serious consequences. The FBI will continue to pursue public corruption and other crimes with integrity and dedication.
Acting U.S. Attorney Levy and FBI SAC Cohen made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney supported the investigation and prosecution of this case.
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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