Former Massachusetts state official Lamar Cook has been indicted on a second count of wire fraud in connection with allegations that he fraudulently obtained Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits while on court-ordered pretrial release in a pending state case involving alleged cocaine trafficking and firearm offenses.
A federal grand jury returned the indictment on Wednesday, adding the new wire fraud charge to the existing case. Cook, 46, of Springfield, was first arrested in October on a criminal complaint charging him with one count of SNAP fraud and one count of wire fraud. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the additional charge Monday in federal court in Boston.
In 2023, Governor Maura Healey appointed Cook to serve as the Western MA Deputy Director in Springfield. Cook was terminated in October 2025 after he was detained at the Springfield State Office building and later charged by the Hampden District Attorney’s Office for alleged drug and firearm offenses. According to court documents, Cook earned a yearly salary of $130,227 and was later paid $22,374.29 in net pay for accrued vacation leave following his termination. The Commonwealth later realized an error in paying Cook for accrued vacation leave time and attempted to reverse the direct deposits, but it could not do so due to insufficient funds available in the accounts…