A longtime Boston licensing attorney who once worked inside City Hall has admitted to forging liquor licenses for three high-profile spots around town, a case that has jolted the small world of licensing lawyers and pushed the city to tighten how it issues permits. The lawyer, Lesley Delaney Hawkins, previously served as the Licensing Board’s general counsel before moving to a downtown firm.
Plea, sentence and court conditions
On March 6, Hawkins pleaded guilty to three counts of forgery and three counts of uttering and was sentenced to three years of probation, according to The Boston Globe. Judge Catherine Hyo-Kyung Ham also ordered Hawkins to participate in an alcohol-monitoring program and undergo an evaluation for substance use disorder as part of her probation. Hawkins’ attorney told the paper she is “pleased to have a fair and just resolution.”
