Mass. Speaker Robert DeLeo Spent $300,000 on Recent Legal Fees

House Speaker Robert DeLeo has reported spending $300,000 on legal fees during the first half of the year as investigators ramped up their probe of the Massachusetts Probation Department.

In a filing on Monday, DeLeo reported spending $300,000 on the law firm of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo. A campaign spokesman would only say that Robert Popeo has represented DeLeo for years and the $300,000 relates to that representation.

A federal indictment alleges that former probation commissioner John O'Brien bribed lawmakers by giving jobs to supporters in exchange for increases to his department's budget.

No lawmakers have been charged in the case.

DeLeo has said he only recommended qualified job applicants for jobs in the probation department

O'Brien was acquitted earlier this year of state corruption charges.

[Associated Press]