Christopher Richard Flanagan is an American politician who serves as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 1st Barnstable district, representing Brewster, Dennis, and Yarmouth. Flanagan has represented the district since 2023.
In April 2025, he was federally indicted on five counts of wire fraud and one count of falsification of records.
Career
Flanagan was born in Easton, Massachusetts. He graduated from Emmanuel College in 2010 and received a master of degree from the Naval War College.
He served two terms on the select board of the Town of Dennis; he was elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2020, and served as chair of the board.
In 2022, Flanagan was elected as a Democrat to the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 1st Barnstable district, which consists of the Cape Cod towns of Dennis, Yarmouth, and Brewster. He flipped a seat previously held by Republican Tim Whelan, who decided not to seek reelection to the House and instead made an unsuccessful bid for Barnstable County sheriff. After taking office in 2023, Flanagan became a member of the House Committee on Labor and Workforce Development.
In 2024, Flanagan admitted to have created a fictitious person ("Jeanne Louise") whose name was used on a campaign fliers sent to voters in 2022 on behalf of a group named "Conservatives for Dennis"; following an Office of Campaign and Political Finance investigation, Flanagan accepted responsibility for the campaign finance law violation; he paid a personal penalty of $9,000 and his campaign paid a $6,000 penalty.
From 2019 to 2024, Flanagan was an executive officer for the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Cape Cod, a trade association. In November 2024, the association complained to authorities about Flanagan, whom they accused of misappropriation and fraud. In January 2025, the Barnstable Police Department confirmed that Flanagan was under investigation.
In April 2025, Flanagan was indicted on five counts of wire fraud and one count of falsification of records; federal prosecutors allege that Flanagan stole $36,000 from the HBA from 2021 to 2023 via direct debit transactions, using the money to pay personal expenses, including his mortgage, credit card bills, and psychic services, as well as to fund his campaign account. After the indictment, Governor Maura Healey called upon Flanagan to resign.
Electoral history
ARREST
On April 10, Flanagan, a former protege of former U.S. Senator John Kerry [D,MA], was arrested and charged with Fraud and Falsification of Records after being indicted.
References
