US attorney’s office won’t say whether it is still investigating [Massachusetts Governor] Baker’s son
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www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/09/28/attorney-office-won-say-whether-they-are-still-investigating-baker-son/LjewuxBg039ieviQFfV0CM/amp.html
By Matt Stout Globe Correspondent September 28, 2018
More than three months after a woman accused Andrew “A.J.” Baker of groping her on a plane, federal officials would not say this week whether they are still pursuing an investigation into Governor Charlie Baker’s adult son.
The governor said in June that US Attorney Andrew E. Lelling’s office was reviewing the assault allegations against his 24-year-old son, who told police he was asleep the “whole time” during the June 20 flight from Washington, D.C., to Boston.
No charges have been filed. But authorities have provided little information since, and Lelling’s office this week would not confirm or deny a probe existed, echoing its earlier public statements. But a Lelling spokeswoman noted that in any investigation, it would not provide a public update if it chose not to pursue charges.
Aides to the governor directed questions to Lelling’s office.
“While I cannot discuss this matter specifically, generally speaking the only way you would know the outcome of an investigation is if someone were charged,” Lelling spokeswoman Christina Sterling said in a Thursday e-mail. “It would not be publicly disclosed if there was insufficient evidence to charge.”
A “visibly shaken” woman told police that A.J. Baker had groped her on the JetBlue flight and stopped only after she asked a flight attendant to move her seat, according to a police report .
The 29-year-old woman told State Police that she was “touched inappropriately” by Baker, and that he had groped her right breast. One witness described seeing Baker “lean over” toward the woman “a couple of times,” and another said she heard the woman tell Baker “don’t do that . . . don’t do that” before summoning an attendant to move her seat.
Baker, who has not been charged, told police he was asleep the “whole time.” But a flight attendant reported speaking to him and told police that Baker said, “it was OK because [the woman] was his sister’s best friend.”
There is nothing in the report that indicates Baker and the woman knew each other prior to the flight.
According to the report, Baker later appeared confused when the flight attendant told him he may need to speak to police once they landed, witnesses told police.
“Did I do something wrong?” he asked, according to the report.
State Police did not arrest him. Baker told police that he was not on any medication and had two glasses of wine in Washington before his flight but hadn’t finished the second glass, according to the report.
Roberto Braceras, A.J. Baker’s attorney, declined to comment on the probe. Kristen Setera, a spokeswoman for the FBI’s Boston office, also declined comment, citing Department of Justice policy.