Volunteer-Supported Effort Met Goal Well Ahead of May 4 Deadline;
Nomination Papers Signed By Voters In Every County In Commonwealth

For immediate release: April 22, 2010    

Contact: Brooke Thomson, (617) 241-0200

BOSTON – Attorney General Martha Coakley announced today that she has secured the 10,000 certified signatures from registered voters necessary to ensure her place on the ballot as a candidate for re-election as Massachusetts Attorney General. This threshold was met ahead of the May 4 deadline to submit nominating signatures to city and town halls for certification.  

The campaign now has 10,447 certified signatures submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office, with more to be submitted in the coming weeks. The signatures were gathered by a team of more than 200 volunteers from across the state, with voters from every county of the Commonwealth signing Coakley’s nomination papers. Coakley joined volunteers at many of the locations throughout the drive, personally asking voters for their support and attending more than 25 signature gathering events.

Coakley moves forward with her re-election campaign in a strong financial position as well, with more than $540,000 cash on hand.

"I am so grateful to our volunteer team and to the thousands of people who signed nomination papers to help secure my place on the ballot,” Coakley said. “I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to get out and listen to people’s ideas and concerns, and to share with them why I am so committed to continuing to serve as Attorney General. 

“I have spent my career standing up for consumers, taxpayers, and victims, and the work we do every day protecting people and standing up for what’s right is more important than ever,” Coakley added.  “I am running for re-election to continue these fundamental and important fights – keeping people safe in our communities, protecting our children and seniors, recovering money on behalf of taxpayers, and fighting for the families hit hardest during this difficult economy.”

Coakley has a strong record of standing up for those who need it most. As the economic and foreclosure crisis hit many Massachusetts families, Coakley took on the big banks and mortgage companies, bringing landmark cases against businesses such as Fremont, Goldman Sachs, State Street, Merrill Lynch, and Countrywide. Through these actions, Coakley has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of investors and taxpayers, and worked to implement innovative loan modification programs to help keep thousands of people in their homes.

In response to ever-increasing concerns about staying safe online and the constantly evolving threats to our children’s safety, Martha Coakley launched the Cyber Crime Initiative, a program to help parents, schools, and law enforcement better protect our children. Through this program, more than 7,000 members of law enforcement have been trained to better investigate predators who seek to harm our kids and to help people better recognize threats and bullying online. She created a computer forensic lab to support state and local police in their efforts to investigate and prosecute cyber crimes. Coakley also worked with Attorneys General across the country to influence social networking site MySpace to make changes to better protect kids, including improving the privacy for 16 and 17-year-olds.

Coakley’s office has also recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer monies. For example, in 2009, Coakley’s office brought back more than $51 million for taxpayers in Medicaid Fraud recoveries. Prior to 2007, the previous high in Medicaid Fraud recoveries was $19 million.

Prior to her election as Attorney General, Coakley served as Middlesex District Attorney from 1999 – 2007. During that time, Coakley established herself as a passionate advocate for public safety, not only bringing justice to crime victims and their families, but also working with community leaders, schools, and law enforcement on innovative crime prevention efforts to protect people in communities.  Under her leadership, the office secured convictions of hundreds of violent criminals, successfully prosecuting those who committed acts of murder, domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse. Coakley oversaw the successful prosecution of a number of high-profile crimes, including the cases of several Catholic priests charged with sexually abusing children and the conviction of Michael McDermott on seven counts of first degree murder in connection with the workplace massacre at Edgewater Technologies in Wakefield.  

Prior to her term as District Attorney, Coakley served as a lawyer in private practice and as a prosecutor on the federal and state level. Coakley began her legal career with the firm of Parker, Coulter, Daley & White and later at Goodwin Procter LLP, both in Boston. Coakley joined the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office in 1986, as an Assistant District Attorney in the Lowell District Court office.  In 1987, Coakley was invited by the U.S. Justice Department to join its Boston Organized Crime Strike Force as a Special Attorney.  She returned to the District Attorney's Office in 1989, and in 1991 was appointed the Chief of the Child Abuse Prosecution Unit, during which time she investigated and prosecuted hundreds of cases of both physical and sexual abuse of children, including Commonwealth v. Louise Woodward. 

Coakley resides in Medford with her husband, Thomas F. O'Connor, Jr.