Former Lowell Rep. Will Plead Guilty To Fraud Charges

More than a year after he pleaded not guilty to a bevy of federal fraud charges, former Rep. David Nangle reached an agreement with federal prosecutors on Monday to change his plea to guilty.

Nangle will plead guilty to 10 counts of wire fraud, four counts of bank fraud, four counts of making false statements to a bank, and four counts of filing false tax returns, according to the change of plea paperwork outgoing U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling's office filed Monday.

As part of the agreement, prosecutors will not charge Nangle with obstruction of justice or extortion related to an alleged "stream of benefits" Nangle received from an unnamed associate who owns a Billerica company.

Parties in the case did not reach any consensus on sentencing recommendations with Nangle's change of plea.

Nangle, a former Lowell Democrat, was arrested in February 2020 after investigators alleged that he misused thousands of dollars of campaign funds on personal expenses and provided false information to a bank to cover personal debts and help pay for gambling.

He pleaded not guilty and his attorney pledged at the time to "fight these charges."

Nangle stepped down from his House leadership positions after his arrest. He sought a 12th term before being defeated by now-Rep. Vanna Howard in the Sept. 1 Democratic primary election.