MassHousing's own investigators just confirmed what the Globe's Spotlight Team found: a top executive lied, repeatedly, about a conflict of interest that funneled $1.4 million in taxpayer money to developers who sold him his house at a steep discount.

The report, released Thursday and prepared by lawyers at the Mintz firm, lands on former MassHousing executive Tony Richards II like a gavel. Richards, who resigned in June after the Globe started asking questions, oversaw a grant program meant to fix up crumbling affordable housing in Massachusetts mill towns — the kind of unglamorous, essential work that keeps working-class housing stock from falling apart. Instead, investigators say Richards was steering money to developers Gary Acquah and Reggie Woods, the same two men who'd sold him a West Roxbury home in December 2022 for $204,000 under its original asking price. Months later, their projects got public grant money. Richards, per the report, was "untruthful" about how well he actually knew them.

This matters beyond one bad actor. MassHousing is a quasi-state agency that finances a huge chunk of the affordable housing this state desperately needs — and this scandal broke before investigators found apparent fraud in how the developers spent the grant money itself. The case has now been referred to the state Ethics Commission, meaning Richards could face real consequences beyond a resignation letter. Watch for whether Governor Maura Healey's administration uses this as a pretext to tighten oversight across all of MassHousing's grant programs — because right now, the agency's credibility on affordable housing spending is exactly what's on the line, at the worst possible moment for a state trying to convince developers and taxpayers that this money is well spent. Full story at Boston Globe →

Mail it now, and it might not count. Secretary of the Commonwealth Bill Galvin says more than 100,000 mail-in ballots for Tuesday's primary still haven't come back — and if you mail yours today, there's a real chance it won't arrive in time. His advice: use a drop box, or just vote in person. Early in-person voting ends Friday. GBH News →

New Bedford's city council wants those surveillance cameras gone — but the police chief doesn't have to listen. The council voted unanimously to demand the removal of 20 Flock license-plate cameras after an officer allegedly used them to track a former romantic partner. Problem: authority over the cameras rests with the mayoral-appointed police chief, not the council, so this is largely symbolic pressure for now. WBUR →

Boston Public Schools blew $857,000 skirting basic contracting rules. A state inspector general report found school employees routinely hired vendors without valid contracts, then used other companies as pass-through middlemen to pay them — including one $96 book order that came with a $211 shipping charge for a three-block trip. No fraud was found, but real money that should've reached classrooms didn't. WBUR →

Kratom sellers are suing to stop the state's ban before it even starts. Four retailers — including shops in Salem, Quincy, North Billerica, and Bellingham — argue DPH Commissioner Robbie Goldstein overstepped his authority with an emergency order classifying all kratom products as Schedule I drugs, set to take effect Friday. No hearing date yet, so the ban's fate is genuinely up in the air heading into the weekend. Boston Globe →

Old offices, new apartments. The Healey administration handed out $15.3 million in tax credits to convert vacant commercial buildings into nearly 860 rental units across Boston, Dedham, Springfield, Westford, and Worcester — including a historic Financial District building becoming 255 apartments. It's a small but real dent in the state's housing crunch, using empty office space nobody wants anymore. CommonWealth Beacon →

ICE arrests are speeding up inside New Bedford's own courthouse. Attorneys say federal agents have detained at least eight people there this year, three in a single week in August, with a shift toward quieter, plainclothes tactics rather than confrontational sweeps. Some defense lawyers are now advising clients not to post bail at all, since walking out the courthouse door can mean walking straight into custody. New Bedford Light →

Saturday brings Boston's J'ouvert parade and Caribbean Carnival, with Police Commissioner Michael Cox urging attendees to skip the weapons and alcohol after 2023's parade ended in eight people shot. Boston Globe →

Friday is the last day for early in-person voting statewide ahead of Tuesday's primary — after that, it's mail (carefully) or show up on September 1. WCVB →

Tuesday, September 1 is primary day itself, with the marquee race being Ed Markey vs. Seth Moulton for U.S. Senate — plus six Democrats scrambling for the open 6th District congressional seat. Boston Globe →

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Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Big Spending This Week

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

Full hearing schedule →

Recent filings with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance:

Candidates

• Charles Bailey (Republican) — Senate, Norfolk, Worcester and Middlesex — Filed: 8/27/2026

PACs

• Western Mass Republicans, a Pol Action Comm — N/A, N/A — Filed: 8/25/2026

Change of Purposes

• Christopher Chan — City Councilor, Quincy → Mayoral, Quincy — Filed: 8/21/2026

OCPF →

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