Cell phone records sought to support allegations of New Bedford judge-prosecutor affair
NEW BEDFORD — Cell phone records for a prosecutor and judge alleged in anonymous notes of having had a sexual relationship are being sought in the appeal of two cases on which they worked.
One of the anonymous notes claimed that former New Bedford District Court Judge Douglas J. Darnbrough and the assistant district attorney had communicated by cell phone. It was also alleged in the note that Darnbrough resigned once his cell phones were requested.
The notes were sent to two defense attorneys, as well as the director of the Committee for Public Counsel Services Criminal Trial Support Unit and the executive director of Bristol County Bar Advocates.
Attorney James P. McKenna filed motions for new trials in the two New Bedford District Court cases, based on the anonymous allegations that the convictions were tainted due to the alleged relationship.
The two appeals could potentially impact all of the cases in which the former judge, and the assistant Bristol County district attorney identified in the anonymous notes, had participated in.
Defendants convicted of indecent A&B
Both defendants had been convicted of indecent assault and battery, and are serving 2 1/2-year sentences.
Darnbrough resigned effective Dec. 30, 2023. His attorney said he was resigning due to health issues.
The DA's Office has stated that the Massachusetts Trial Court had investigated the allegations and found no evidence of the relationship.
In a filing with the court, the DA's Office stated, "When the Trial Court investigation concluded, the Trial Court informed the District Attorney's Office that their investigation found no evidence of a relationship between our employee and the judge."
The DA's Office stated that the ADA, as well as more than one other employee in the DA's Office, were being targeted by the same "harasser," with a "personal animus against them."
Motion: DA's Office should have done more
In his latest filing with the court requesting the cell phone records, McKenna states that the DA's Office should have done more to investigate the allegation than "sitting by as the Trial Court interviewed the prosecutor …"
McKenna is requesting that the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office "disclose the numbers and associated account information, including all names, of all cell phones by which the prosecutor, directly or indirectly, communicated with the judge."
Cambridge District Court Judge David E. Frank has been hearing the arguments for new trials, and is expected to rule on the latest motion for the cell phone records.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Cell phone info sought to support New Bedford Court affair claims
