In July 2018, Sergeant David Finnerty arrived at work for his overnight shift with the MBTA Transit Police. He had just been promoted to Sergeant and, without any formal training, was asked to act as Officer-in-Charge—a role normally filled by two lieutenants.
That same night, officers at a station miles away made an arrest that led to claims of excessive force. Sergeant Finnerty was not there. He did not see the arrest happen and was on the other side of town the entire shift.
Despite this, the local District Attorney, Rachel Rollins, charged him with helping cover up the incident and writing a false report. In truth, Finnerty had immediately sent the case up the chain of command for a proper review and even raised concerns about the officer’s behavior.
He pled not guilty right away and hired a strong legal team to fight the charges. For years, he and his family battled to protect his freedom, good name, and pension. He was suspended without pay, all while coping with disabilities from his military service.
In October of 2022, after four excruciatingly difficult and painful years for David and his family, the Suffolk County DA dismissed all charges against him one day before his Superior Court trial was scheduled to commence, stating, “On October 5, 2022, the Commonwealth learned of new, exculpatory evidence which fundamentally changed its understanding of the case against the defendant…This new evidence establishes that… the defendant was not the source of the false and misleading statements that are at issue in this case.” Even so, MBTA police fired him after an internal hearing and refused to pay him the back wages he was owed under state law. This forced Finnerty back into court and drained his savings.
Now, nearly a year after his full exoneration, the U.S. Department of Justice has brought the same charges against him in federal court. This move came after a government watchdog suggested the original DA interfered in a local election—raising questions about political motives. The fact that no one in the TPD chain of command below him (including the patrolman who committed, and admitted to, the underlying assault) and no one in the command staff above him, was also indicted, makes it difficult to not conclude that David is being targeted as a whistleblower, scapegoated, and being used as a “political pawn” by Rollins’ former office, perhaps to protect their own reputation, if not hers.
Whatever the rationale for this unjust, unnecessary, and highly unusual in light of the Suffolk County DA’s prior conclusion that the evidence does not support his continued prosecution, David and his family must once again step forward to defend his honor, impeccable reputation, as well as his liberty and personal freedom—but this time, with all their personal financial resources having been drained and depleted from the multiple previous battles the TPD have instigated or necessitated in the courts.
Nonetheless, David must fight these false allegations to the bitter end. Despite his “win” and vindication in state court, he has no choice, nor any other recourse, but to turn to friends and the public to help raise sufficient funding to defend his good name, rights, liberty, and impeccable reputation once again, this time in U.S. Federal Court.
Please support this decent and honorable man (and Veteran), as well as his wife and three young daughters, however you might be able! Any amount helps his family during this horrific time in their lives. Your support will help him stand up for justice, protect his family, and clear his good name once and for all.