Letter from the Attorney General December 1

Dear colleagues, 

This week, I had the pleasure of making two important announcements that underscore the significant and meaningful work the office does to protect our consumers and advance public safety. 

The first was the proposed regulations to safeguard residents from deceptive “junk fees,” and the other was an investigation to uncover a large-scale luxury car theft scheme. 

Our office announced our proposed regulations to prohibit hidden “junk fees,” which surely all of us have fallen victim to at one time or another. Recognizing our consumers deserve better and those businesses that play by the rules also deserve a level playing field, I am grateful to the Consumer Protection Division for their leadership and hard work on this issue. The regulations promote transparency, remind the public of the incredible role this office plays in protecting consumers, and tackles our residents’ concerns about affordability head on. Thank you specifically to Abby Taylor, Yael Shavit, Michael Turi, Sarah Petrie, along with the rest of the CPD team for your work on drafting the proposed regulations. 

Additionally, in a thorough and detailed investigation our Enterprise and Major Crimes Division with several law enforcement partners announced the indictments of two individuals for an extensive luxury car theft scheme and other related crimes. This investigation spanned months requiring diligent and collaborative work with colleagues across the state. I remain grateful for our office’s leadership and commitment to advancing public safety and modeling how to do it with integrity, innovation and exceptionalism. Thank you to Gretchen Brodigan, Pat Cooney, Jillian Boudreau, the Digital Evidence Lab, and our Massachusetts State Police Partners for your work on this matter. 

Lastly, I want to highlight the office’s annual Holiday Gift Drive to collect toys and gifts cards for the Department of Children and Families. Together, we can support the thousands of children and teenagers who will be in DCF care this holiday season. You can participate by dropping off gifts at the bins in the Boston office, donating gift cards for teens, and/or giving a monetary donation. Please contact Shealenn Nash if you have any questions. The deadline for all donations is December 11th at 5:00PM. 

I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving and continue to enjoy the holiday season! Have a wonderful weekend. 

With tremendous gratitude, 

Andrea