Acting United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Josh Levy declined to provide the status of his office’s involvement in the high-profile case. Karen Lees murder case at the request of 25 Investigates Reporter Ted Daniel Wednesday.
“We do not comment on whether or not we have any ongoing investigations. I know there has been a lot of reporting, but we have a duty to adhere to our guidelines.” Levy said during a roundtable with Daniel and other Boston-area reporters covering the federal court. Levy spoke for more than an hour in a conference room on a wide range of topics, from his office’s efforts to combat human trafficking to the state of organized crime in Massachusetts.
25 Investigates: Norfolk DA Pushes Back on Federal Investigation of Karen Read Case
In December 2023, 25 investigators learned of letters from Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey sent to the Justice Department requesting that the federal investigation be transferred from Massachusetts based on conflict of interest claims. Morrissey argued that the investigation was launched by former U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins, who accused Morrissey of having a personal vendetta against him. Rollins abruptly resigned in May 2023, after extensive investigations by two federal watchdog agencies determined she had abused her position and lied about it.
25 Investigates: Norfolk DA Pushes Back on Federal Investigation of Karen Read Case
Levy’s office turned over 3,074 pages of the federal investigation into Read’s arrest and prosecution, including testimony from witnesses and law enforcement provided to a federal grand jury and findings from outside experts. Judge Beverly Cannone has barred Read’s attorneys from direct references to federal involvement in Read’s ongoing trial, but the defense may cite prior testimony from “another proceeding” that did not include members of the prosecutor’s office and one witness for the prosecutor. slipped when he testified that he “may have spoken to the FBI” on a specific date.
During pre-trial hearings, Read’s defense said the federal investigation revealed inconsistencies and conflicts that should lead to the dismissal of her second-degree murder case, while Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally has said that the federal investigation found no evidence of a cover-up. The grand jury minutes of the federal investigation are “substantially consistent” with the state’s case.
Read is charged with second-degree murder for the Jan. 29, 2022, death of her then-boyfriend John O’Keefe, then a Boston police officer, in Canton. Prosecutors allege Read struck O’Keefe with her SUV while she was drunk. Read’s attorneys have long argued that she was framed by prosecution witnesses and local and state law enforcement.
“I’m not going to comment when there’s a pending case, I’m certainly not going to comment on the Karen Read case. I certainly wouldn’t comment if there is an active process going on,” Levy said.
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