McDonough, charged with conspiracy, mail fraud and wire fraud, was back on Beacon Hill after court proceedings Tuesday.
In this photo taken May 5, 2011, former House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi walks into federal court for the start of the trial at Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston. On the left is step daughter Ashley and on right is wife Debbie. (AP Photo/The Globe, David L Ryan)By Kyle Cheney
BOSTON — Just hours after appearing in court to defend himself against charges that he conspired with former Speaker Salvatore DiMasi to take bribes in exchange for helping steer state software contracts, lobbyist Richard McDonough was back at the State House Tuesday chatting up lawmakers on behalf of his client Anheuser-Busch.
McDonough, charged with conspiracy, mail fraud and wire fraud, spoke briefly with ranking lawmakers on the Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, pausing for exchanges with co-chairs Rep. Theodore Speliotis (D-Danvers) and Sen. Thomas Kennedy (D-Brockton), as well as Rep. Robert Fennell (D-Lynn).
Court proceedings ended just after 1 p.m., enabling McDonough to make it to Beacon Hill in time to catch a portion of a hearing that began at 1 p.m.
McDonough, who smiled and laughed with other colleagues after the hearing, declined to comment when approached by a News Service reporter.
McDonough has found himself in court daily since last week as he stands trial, along with DiMasi and accountant Richard Vitale, on charges that the three steered contracts to the software company Cognos Corp. to enrich themselves. McDonough's attorney, Thomas Drechsler - also a registered lobbyist at a firm run by former Speaker Thomas Finneran - vigorously defended McDonough this week in court as a well-respected lobbyist who was only paid for legitimate work.
As he exited the hearing room, Fennell looked back at McDonough and said, "Good luck."
The hearing was largely focused on legislation that would permit craft breweries to opt out of contracts with distributors and wholesalers. Twelve state senators signed a letter of support Monday calling the legislation a needed update to "obsolete laws" that haven't been changed since 1971.
McDonough lobbied for Cognos for more than 10 years, beginning in the late 1990s and, during a stretch from June 2003 to July 2008, collected more than $1.1 million from the company, according to a 2008 report from Inspector General Gregory Sullivan. Prosecutors say McDonough acted as a middleman, helping broker bribes for DiMasi and taking home a hefty lobbyist paycheck as a result.
During opening arguments, Drechsler contended that no evidence exists to tie McDonough to any "quid pro quo" that may have been offered, and during questioning of a witness from Cognos on Monday, he painstakingly pointed out that McDonough was kept off of many of the emails highlighted by prosecutors as part of a trove of evidence to suggest a kickback scheme occurred.
McDonough's clients, according to 2011 filings, include only Anheuser-Busch and Illinois-based Insurance Auto Auctions.