Fall River’s Jasiel Correia Hustled Himself Right Into Prison [OPINION]

Success came early and too quickly for Fall River's wonder kid Jasiel Correia, and it didn't take long for him to go rogue. In fact, federal prosecutors say Correia wasted little time establishing a criminal enterprise once he ousted Sam Sutter to become Fall River's youngest chief executive.

But the boy mayor will have plenty of time to think about his mistakes – and there have been many – because at the ripe young age of 29 years old, the recently-married Correia is now headed to federal prison.

As a student in high school, Correia was an overachiever. He became active in community affairs and got to know the right people that could help him later in his quest for power. It's tough to say exactly when Correia "went bad." He's too young and didn't have much of a paper trail when he burst onto the political scene and was elected mayor at age 23.

Correia, a young, good-looking kid, is full of charisma. He took advantage of the trust that people placed in him. He used them and their loyalty against them. U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock sentenced Correia to six years in prison, calling his crimes "reprehensible corruption." That's an understatement.

Correia is a tragic story of a young man blessed with seemingly boundless talents and ambition. Unfortunately, like so many others who taste power, it got the best of him. To be fair, Correia was able to accomplish some things as mayor, but his greed and ambition did him in.

The fact that Correia has shown no remorse for his behavior is an indication that he hasn't learned much of a lesson yet. Perhaps six years in jail will help in that regard.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.