SPRINGFIELD — Former Chicopee school superintendent Lynn Clark pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two counts of making false statements to the FBI in connection with allegations that she sent threatening text messages to a candidate for Chicopee’s police chief.
Lynn Clark, a 51-year-old Belchertown resident, was arraigned Wednesday in U.S. District Court on charges that she sent 99 threatening text messages, from fictitious numbers purchased online, to one of the finalists to lead the Chicopee Police Department, causing him to withdraw from consideration for the position.
She had previously been arrested April 6 and charged by criminal complaint with lying to the FBI. She was released on condition that she not contact any alleged victims or witnesses in the case.
The FBI has alleged that phone and internet records show that Clark purchased those numbers through a mobile phone “burner app,” and that she admitted as much to federal agents during a voluntary interview. On Wednesday, however, her lawyer pushed back on those assertions.
“Ms. Clark denies them all as she has since the beginning,” attorney Jared Olanoff said during a press conference after her arraignment. “She maintains her innocence.”
Investigators allege that Clark lied about purchasing the fictitious numbers using a “burner app,” initially casting suspicion on other city employees, the candidate’s colleagues and a member of her own family before eventually admitting to the blackmail scheme. Olanoff denied those allegations Wednesday, though, specifically saying that Clark never attempted to steer investigators toward a member of her own family.
“She categorically denies ever doing that,” Olanoff said. He also said that, to the best of his knowledge, the FBI’s interviews with Clark weren’t recorded.
Prosecutors have alleged that the text messages contained information that would have harmed the victim’s reputation, causing him to withdraw his application.
Chicopee Mayor John Vieau put the search for a police chief on hold in January after Capt. Richard Henry unexpectedly withdrew his name from consideration, according to reporting from The Republican.
“Because this delay had a significant effect on an essential governmental function, agents pursued a number of investigative steps and allocated substantial resources to determine who sent the messages,” the criminal complaint against Clark states.
Olanoff said Wednesday that Clark’s employment with the city of Chicopee was terminated.
“She did separate from the city and that was regrettable,” he said. Clark was a longtime employee of the district, working as superintendent and previously as a principal. “She loved her job.”
Olanoff said that he was “taken aback” by the public’s reaction to Lynn’s arrest, saying it was “disconcerting” how many people simply presume her to be guilty. He said he has received threats since taking on the case. He reminded the public that everyone is presumed innocent until found guilty, and that everyone is entitled to legal defense.
The charges of making false statements each carry a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to a year of supervised release and a fine of as much as $10,000, according to federal prosecutors.
Dusty Christensen can be reached at dchristensen@gazettenet.com.