Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Appeals court hears dispute over sufficiency of evidence in alleged romance‑scam money‑laundering case
Summary
At the Feb. 6 sitting the Massachusetts Appeals Court heard argument in Commonwealth v. Adabo Wale over whether the Commonwealth presented sufficient evidence that the defendant knowingly handled proceeds of a fraudulent scheme and whether a jury reasonably could infer he opened and controlled the key bank account.
Commonwealth v. Adabo Wale returned to the Massachusetts Appeals Court on Feb. 6 for argument over whether evidence at trial was sufficient to sustain money‑laundering and related convictions.
The defendant, represented by Attorney Thomas Gleeson, challenged both a pretrial McCarthy probable‑cause ruling and, primarily, the trial court’s denial of a directed‑verdict motion. Gleeson told the panel the evidence did not prove Wale had the knowledge or intent required under the state money‑laundering statute and that key inferences the Commonwealth asked a jury to draw were unsupported.
The Commonwealth, represented by Assistant District Attorney Kristen Jang, asked the panel to view the record “in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth” and argued the evidence permitted a jury to infer the defendant’s…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
