Feds investigating state representative from Cape Cod, police say

Federal prosecutors are investigating Chris Flanagan, a Democratic state representative from Cape Cod, over “alleged potential criminal activity” involving him and his election campaign, Barnstable police said Friday. 

The department’s brief statement follows November reports that Flanagan’s former employer — the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Cape Cod — filed a police complaint accusing him of misappropriating tens of thousands of dollars. 

Barnstable police did not offer details on the allegations that prompted the federal probe, only noting the department received a report in October involving Flanagan and the “Chris Flanagan for State Representative for the 1st Barnstable District” campaign. Boston.com has filed a records request for the October police report.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office took over the investigation in December, Barnstable police said. Federal prosecutors did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation Monday. Flanagan and his attorney did not respond to requests for comment.

First elected in 2022, Flanagan won reelection in November by a nearly 13% margin. Just a couple weeks later, however, the Boston Broadside reported that Flanagan was the subject of a Sept. 20 Yarmouth police report regarding “potential fraudulent use of a business account” in his former role. 

The heavily redacted report listed $26,500 as “stolen,” the news outlet reported. 

Flanagan left his role as executive officer of the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Cape Cod in May. His departure came shortly after state campaign finance regulators accused him of using an alias, “Jeanne Louise,” to conceal his role in paying for a mailer to support his 2022 campaign. The state’s Office of Campaign and Political Finance ultimately fined Flanagan and his campaign committee a total of $15,000.

Flanagan was sworn in for his second term last week. 

“A new year marks new beginnings,” he wrote in a Facebook post the next day, adding, “I’m very grateful for the voters of the 1st Barnstable district for supporting our work together for another term as your state representative and look forward to what we accomplish this year and this session.”