WESTPORT — The Bristol County District Attorney's Office has announced that former State Senator Brian Joyce has died.

According to the D.A.'s office, the 56-year-old Joyce was found dead by his wife at their home in Westport on Thursday afternoon. The body has been taken by the medical examiner's for an autopsy. The D.A. says although foul play is not suspected, there is an active investigation.

Last December, Joyce was indicted by the federal government on charges of accepting up to $1 million in bribes and kickbacks, running a "criminal enterprise" from his State House office. Joyce, who was 55 at the time, was taken into custody at his Westport home.

The report also says that Joyce's office was raided by the FBI in 2016 as part of a federal investigation. Joyce later announced that he would not seek re-election to the state senate.

 

Joyce spent almost two decades on Beacon Hill as a state representative and senator, was awaiting trial.

Gregg Miliote, pokesman for Bristol County District Attorney Tom Quinn, said Joyce's wife found him deceased on Thursday and that the Medical Examiner's office had taken custody of the body to perform an autopsy and toxicology report to determine cause of death. Investigators do not believe that foul play was involved.

According to the district attorney's office, Westport police said that Joyce had been involved in a car crash the night before on Wednesday.

"That will be part of the overall investigation," Miliote said.

 

Joyce represented Milton and parts of the South Shore during his time in the Senate, and moved to Westport after leaving the Legislature and giving up his law firm while he fought charges that he had accepted bribes and kickbacks in exchange for his "official action" in the Senate and putting pressure on state and local officials.

Facing 113 counts including racketeering, extortion, mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and tax evasion, Joyce pleaded not guilty. His attorney last met in court with prosecutors on Sept. 17 to discuss the status of the case, and were due for another court hearing on Nov. 20 in Boston.

 

 

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