Former Chicopee superintendent sentenced for lying to FBI

Lynn Clark pleaded guilty to lying about threatening texts she sent to a former romantic partner who had applied to become Chicopee's police chief.

Former Chicopee Public Schools Superintendent Lynn Clark was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to one year of probation, wrapping up a yearslong saga over threatening texts Clark sent to a former romantic partner who was vying to become the city’s next police chief.

Clark, 53, of Belchertown, was arrested in 2022 after lying to FBI agents about the source of the texts. She pleaded guilty in January to two counts of making false statements, and prosecutors ultimately recommended she be sentenced to one year of probation, a $1,000 fine, and a $200 special assessment.

In a subsequent court memo, defense attorney Jared Olanoff said Clark found the recommendation “fair and reasonable based on her lack of prior record, career of public service, and acceptance of responsibility.”

The case dates back to December 2021, when Chicopee Mayor John Vieau contacted the FBI regarding a police chief candidate who pulled out of the running after receiving anonymous threats.

According to court documents, Vieau informed the FBI that the candidate and his wife received anonymous text messages “implying he should withdraw his candidacy for police chief.” Clark, who’d had a six-year relationship with the police chief candidate, also told the FBI she received text messages.

Prosecutors said Clark initially told investigators she had no idea who sent the messages, though she accused several others — including police officers, a city employee, and even her own son.

“It was clear that the defendant would do anything to avoid culpability and simply did not care … that her lies could cause undue stress and reputational harm to those she accused, tainted the City’s search for a new Chief of Police, and lead the FBI on a wild goose chase,” prosecutors wrote in one memo.

Clark continued to deny responsibility even after FBI agents confronted her with evidence that she sent the texts, according to court documents. However, she eventually admitted she used a “burner app” and reportedly told investigators she felt her ex should be “knocked down a peg” and believed her job “would somehow be negatively affected” if the candidate became police chief.

U.S. District Judge Mark Mastroianni dubbed the case “Chicopee Watergate” and a “soap opera” during Clark’s sentencing hearing, The Republican in Springfield reported.

Clark’s indictment “upended her life,” according to Olanoff. In his sentencing memo, he noted that his client lost her 29-year career as an educator with Chicopee Public Schools and saw her mental health “decimated” in the aftermath of her arrest.

“To all of the people in the community who sort of took pleasure in this in some way and were so quick to criticize her and demean her — it’s not something that you would want to go through yourself,” Olanoff told reporters Tuesday, per WWLP video. “You know, have a little compassion.”

Clark told The Republican she’s working again and loves that she’s now able to clock out at 5 p.m.

“I feel a different sense of peace … that I probably would have never felt,” she told the news outlet. “So I try to think about the silver lining.”