A former Fall River police officer received a nearly three-year prison sentence on Wednesday for filing false reports to cover up the beating of a suspect in custody in 2020.
Nicholas M. Hoar was convicted in February of one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and two counts of false reports in Boston’s federal court.
During the trial, federal prosecutors called on a police witness to unravel a series of reports Hoar filed in the wake of a violent booking process that left an uncooperative suspect, William Harvey, hospitalized with a bleeding gash on his head.
Hoar reported to supervisors that he pushed Harvey in self defense during the booking process, causing Harvey to fall and strike his head on a wall.
But the station’s booking officer, Jeffrey Maher, testified that police had the situation under control when Hoar walked into the holding cell and struck Harvey on the head with a steel baton — a potentially lethal use of force that Maher and several other Fall River police officers testified is only meant for life-or-death situations. Maher had initially corroborated Hoar’s account before coming forward as a whistleblower.
U.S. District Court Justice Allison D. Burroughs sentenced Hoar to 33 months in federal prison, followed by a year of supervised release.
Hoar, who is 37, served four years as a police officer in Fall River, fulfilling a family tradition of joining the city’s police department that goes back five generations. During his short career, Hoar received numerous complaints of excessive force that local investigators dismissed.
Hoar also fatally shot a teenager in 2017 while breaking up a late night car race in Fall River’s industrial park. Hoar said he fired in self defense after the teenager’s car collided with him, which a second officer corroborated. Six civilian witnesses disagreed with their account. The Bristol County District Attorney’s office ultimately cleared Hoar of wrongdoing.
Three years later, Hoar was under investigation again. Harvey, the suspect he was convicted of beating with a steel baton, had reported the incident to the FBI.
Federal law enforcement officials commented on the significance of the case in a press release after Wednesday’s sentencing hearing.
“There is no question police officers have a challenging job, but it doesn’t give them the right to beat someone in their custody and lie about it,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “Those under arrest retain the same civil rights you and I do. Know that the FBI is determined to defend those rights, and root out corrupt law enforcement officers, on behalf of the vast majority who carry out their duties with honor.”
Massachusetts’ Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy, whose office prosecuted the case, said Hoar violated his oath as a police officer.
“This lengthy prison sentence sends a message to the entire community that we will continue to hold members of law enforcement accountable when they violate a person’s civil rights,” Levy said.
Hoar is scheduled to turn himself into the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons on June 5.
