Witness: I Was Told Don't Mention DiMasi In Email

A former Patrick administration official has testified he doesn't believe a software contract would have been included in a 2007 emergency bond bill if former Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi hadn't pressed officials to include it.

David Simas testified in DiMasi's federal corruption trial that the contract was added later to the bill on recommendation of Patrick's then-assistant budget chief Jay Gonzalez.

"What Simas testified to [Tuesday] was that as the administration was trying to move this emergency bill, the speaker's office, Speaker DiMasi's office, reached out and said, 'We would like this $15 million software project included in that bill,' " said State House News Service reporter Kyle Cheney.

Earlier Tuesday, a former business partner of software salesman Joseph Lally said he was "chastised" by Lally for using DiMasi's name in an email. Bruce Major said he suspected DiMasi was receiving some of the money he and Lally were paying to DiMasi associate Richard Vitale.

"Major described how he drafted language, legislative language, that would virtually assure that Cognos was be able to win Massachusetts business," Cheney said.

DiMasi, Vitale and Richard McDonough are charged with scheming to funnel kickbacks to DiMasi in exchange for his help pushing through two software contracts.

Lally has pleaded guilty.

With reporting from The Associated Press and State House News Service

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