Mike Beaudet
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Video Storyteller. Professor. Reinventing TV @Northeastern. Investigative Reporter @WCVB. Got a good tip? mbeaudet@hearst.com
Articles by Mike Beaudet
Massachusetts Senate passes amendment to ban Bitcoin ATMs
Massachusetts residents have lost millions of dollars to Bitcoin ATM scams, and now the state is one step closer to getting rid of the machines altogether. On Wednesday, the Senate passed an amendment to the economic development bill that would ban the machines. Senators are expected to pass the full bill on Thursday night. But the House did not include the ban amendment in their version of the bill, so a conference committee will be assigned to hash out the differences.
Massachusetts senator fed up with lack of opioid settlement fund spending
Massachusetts State Sen. John Velis is threatening to claw back opioid settlement funds if cities and towns haven't used them. "You have this pot of money for this issue. Spend it. Enough," he told 5 Investigates' Mike Beaudet, who uncovered both questionable spending and lack of spending across the state. Since 2023, cities and towns received $115 million in these funds, but they've spent $19 million, less than 20% of what they've received.
Massachusetts communities spent opioid settlement money spent on stadium lights, police vehicle
Opioid settlement funds are supposed to be used to mitigate the harm caused by the opioid epidemic, yet most Massachusetts communities haven't spent the money, and others have reported questionable purchases. Since 2023, cities and towns received $115 million in these funds, but they've spent $19 million, less than 20% of what they've received. The money comes from settlements negotiated with drug companies, distributors, and retailers related to the opioid overdose crisis.
Rape survivor applauds Massachusetts rape prosecution law change
Massachusetts is on the verge of eliminating the 15-year statute of limitations on prosecuting rape cases when DNA evidence ties a suspect to the crime, with the Legislature passing the measure as part of the state budget and the governor expected to sign it within 10 days. The change is being celebrated by survivors, including a Massachusetts woman who was raped in 2005 after accepting a ride from a man she didn't know.
Woman charged in 1985 killing of newborn found in Massachusetts, woods
Click here for updates on this story ATTLEBORO, Massachusetts (WCVB) -- An Attleboro, Massachusetts, woman was in court Tuesday in connection with the death of her newborn son more than four decades ago. Dianne Curry Peck, 59, was indicted Monday and arraigned Tuesday.
Family says mental health system failed before triple killing
Her brother was always "the smart one" in the family."I was always jealous," Jessica Ferguson said.Ferguson and her brother grew up in Newton, the fourth generation of the family to do so, and "in a great home," Jessica said."My family member is loved," she said.The family member - her younger brother - is Chris Ferguson.
Massachusetts schools launch curriculum to curb teen sports betting
Sports betting is surging in Massachusetts, and kids and teens are finding ways to bet underage, prompting concerns about addiction, anxiety and depression.But Medfield High School is piloting new curriculum aimed at educating students about the risks of gambling.
How George Floyd's murder has sparked police reform in Massachusetts and revealed 'wandering cops'
Police reforms born from the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis helped shed light on what 5 Investigates revealed earlier this week: dozens of "wandering" police officers who resign or retire to avoid discipline and then find other law enforcement jobs.Floyd's killing in 2020 sparked nationwide protests, including in Massachusetts, and led to criminal justice reform later that year.
Records reveal officers who resigned before discipline fill college police forces across Mass.
Colleges and universities across Massachusetts are employing wandering officers - cops who resigned or retired to avoid discipline and are now working on campus police forces.5 Investigates and Northeastern University's School of Journalism analyzed disciplinary data from the POST Commission, the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, which certifies officers.They found more than 50 cases where officers resigned or retired in lieu of discipline, and found another job...
Despite police reforms, these MA officers resigned to avoid discipline
Yarmouth and Barnstable police officers positioned themselves outside the residence of a suspected drug dealer, closely observing the comings and goings. But as they watched the property, officers witnessed something unexpected: an off-duty Brewster Police Department officer entered the residence. It was a Friday in January 2021 in Yarmouth, a suburban Cape Cod town 20 minutes away from Brewster.
Redefining local: How young Americans engage with television news across platforms
Republish this article This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. You are free to republish this piece both online and in print, and we encourage you to do so with the embed code provided below. We only ask that you follow a few basic guidelines. 1 A growing share of U.S. audiences turn to social media for their news — a shift that’s been evident for years and shows no sign of slowing down.
Gun in Acton trooper shooting is Sig Sauer P320 linked to discharge claims
The gun that Massachusetts State Police say experienced an accidental discharge Wednesday, injuring a trooper at the Mounted Unit barn in Acton, is the same weapon tied to dozens of discharges in Massachusetts and around the country.Concerns have dogged the Sig Sauer P320 for years, with lawsuits and other claims saying it goes off without the trigger being pulled, sometimes causing serious injuries.Despite the many concerns about these weapons, state police made it their standard issue duty...
Massachusetts can save $1.5B by reducing bloated workforce
A new report calls on Massachusetts to eliminate 5,000 jobs from the state workforce over the next five years to save $1.5 billion, as employment reached an all-time high last year. The public policy research group, the Pioneer Institute, released the report, but is not pushing for layoffs. The group instead says only three of four vacancies should be filled when people leave their jobs through natural attrition.
Livestreaming reshapes newsroom video strategies
To reach people, you’ve got to go where the young people are. They’re going to YouTube, TikTok or Instagram. People are almost suspicious of high production, especially young people. They prefer less-polished, conversational content.” If you’re a social media scroller, you’ve probably swiped upon a livestream. Chances are you’ve come nose-to-phone on a live breaking news event or a random influencer reading comments and cracking jokes.
Statements of financial interests for Massachusetts lawmakers have barely been updated in 50 years
State lawmakers are required to disclose their financial interests every year, but critics say the forms are outdated and reveal very little about the finances of elected officials. The financial disclosure law was passed in 1978 and has remained largely unchanged since then.
Bitcoin Depot files for bankruptcy, will take all crypto ATMs offline
Bitcoin Depot, one of the largest crypto ATM operators in Massachusetts, filed for bankruptcy on Monday and will take all of its machines offline. Massachusetts residents have lost millions of dollars to crypto ATM scams, as 5 Investigates has reported for months. Bitcoin Depot operates many of the more than 600 crypto ATMs in Massachusetts.
Records show Tyler Brown's troubled path before Memorial Drive shootout
Tyler Brown was 16 years old when a Michigan judge sent him to an adult maximum-security prison.The sentence - delivered despite the pleas of his defense attorney to send him to a juvenile facility - followed an armed robbery case in which police said Brown used a machete to rob someone.Records from that Michigan case open a window into the turbulent and violent life of Tyler Brown IV, the man accused of opening fire on Memorial Drive this week.After Brown pleaded no contest to robbing a man...
After surviving a night of terror, Mass. rape survivor speaks out
It was a night of terror more than 20 years ago."He kept stabbing me. And as I'm trying to hold my neck and get out of the car, he stabbed me all down my back," she said. "And that's when I started praying."In an interview, the Massachusetts woman recalled her harrowing escape from a rapist in 2005.5 Investigates is not revealing her identity because she's a survivor of sexual assault.
Court ruling gives new hope in New Bedford Highway Killer case
Jill Paiva remembers her mother, Nancy, as "the fun mom.""She did blueberry-picking and strawberry-picking. We had sleepovers, and she baked the best chocolate chip cookies ever. I still can't even get the recipe right," she said.Nancy Paiva also became addicted to drugs, but her daughter said, "That wasn't her life.""That happened to her. That was a chapter, and somebody decided to end it there," Jill Paiva said.Nancy Paiva was last seen leaving a New Bedford bar in the summer of 1988.
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When he was arrested, Thomas Rosa remembers how certain he was that someone would realize they had arrested the wrong person and he would be released. He'd call his mother and say, "'I’m just waiting to get to court and get this done,'" he recalled in an interview. That moment never came. Instead, he spent 34 years in prison for a murder he says he did not commit.
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The powerful state Senate Ways and Means Committee is proposing to spend $1 million on a public education campaign about the risks of cannabis in a supplemental budget released Wednesday. It's a step that would, for the first time in more than five years, bring the state into compliance with a state law requiring a science-based public awareness campaign about the health risks associated with marijuana and THC consumption.
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Editorial Standards ⓘ A judge has barred a career criminal from soliciting or collecting charitable donations in Massachusetts, writing that he engaged in deceptive tactics that purported to benefit homeless veterans but instead were for his personal benefit.Sean Murphy's fundraising drew the attention of law enforcement, veterans advocates and 5 Investigates.
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DEVASTATING TOLL CAN LAST FOR YEARS. I STARTED GAMBLING WHEN I WAS 12. THAT’S WHEN SAM DEMELLO BEGAN PLAYING POKER WITH FRIENDS, HE SAYS. EVERYTHING CHANGED FOR THE WORSE AFTER HE DISCOVERED ONLINE SPORTS BETTING. WITHIN A MONTH, IT WENT FROM $5 ON THE WARRIORS TO $250 ON UGANDAN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL. AT TWO IN THE MORNING, DE MELLO WAS HOOKED. IT WAS THE FIRST THING I DID WHEN I WOKE UP. IT WAS THE LAST THING I DID BEFORE I WENT TO BED. I WAS AT MY JOB, I WAS STREAMING GAMES.
Mass. man imprisoned 34 years for murder speaks out after charges are finally dropped
CHELSEA, Massachusetts (WCVB) — Thomas Rosa was sitting at home in Chelsea when the call came in: prosecutors would no longer pursue the murder case that had defined most of his adult life. “I had no words. I just started crying,” Rosa said of learning the charges would be dropped. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday it would not retry Rosa, 64, for the 1985 killing of an 18-year-old nurse’s aide, Gwendolyn Taylor, in Dorchester.
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Thomas Rosa was sitting at home in Chelsea when the call came in: prosecutors would no longer pursue the murder case that had defined most of his adult life. “I had no words. I just started crying,” Rosa said of learning the charges would be dropped. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday it would not retry Rosa, 64, for the 1985 killing of an 18-year-old nurse’s aide, Gwendolyn Taylor, in Dorchester. The filing ended a decadeslong legal battle.
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The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office will not retry a man who spent more than 30 years in prison for a murder he insists he did not commit. A judge threw out Thomas Rosa's murder conviction in 2023, citing new DNA evidence and questions about eyewitness identifications. Rosa was convicted of the 1985 murder of Gwendolyn Taylor in Dorchester.
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Video Player is loading. Current Time 0:00 Duration 0:00 Remaining Time -0:00 Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. TextColorOpacity Text BackgroundColorOpacity Caption Area BackgroundColorOpacity Font Size Text Edge Style Font Family End of dialog window. HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS. THAT’S RIGHT. ERIKA. WE’VE SHARED STORIES OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN PSYCHOSIS, ADDICTION, AND AT RISK FOR LIFELONG MENTAL ILLNESS FROM EXTENSIVE USE OF HIGH POTENCY CANNABIS.
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Massachusetts cities and towns are using opioid settlement funds at a low rate, and one father who lost his daughter to an overdose is fighting for more spending to help families like his. Stephen Jesi of Middleton lost his daughter Stephenie to an overdose 10 years ago after she began using opioids following surgery for a broken ankle. She was 33 years old. "They found her in a hotel. They got a well-care call, and they went in, they found her, passed away, overdosed on the bed," Jesi said.
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Massachusetts communities are sitting on millions of dollars in unspent opioid settlement funds four years after the money started flowing into the state. The state released figures Wednesday as part of a new dashboard that tracks spending in cities and towns, as well as statewide. Last year, municipalities reported $107.7 million in available funds with just $13.2 million spent, meaning 88% of the funds have not been used.
Massachusetts Attorney General 'hopeful' to get money back to Bitcoin ATM scam victims
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell told 5 Investigates she's "hopeful" to get Bitcoin ATM scam victims their money back as she proceeds with a lawsuit against Bitcoin Depot. Campbell filed a lawsuit against Bitcoin Depot Inc. and Bitcoin Depot Operating LLC, alleging the company knowingly facilitated cryptocurrency scams, overcharged customers and failed to protect Massachusetts consumers. She spoke with 5 Investigates shortly after the lawsuit was announced.
Retired judge seeks federal review of Massachusetts DCF after child homicides
Video Player is loading. Current Time 0:00 Duration 0:00 Remaining Time -0:00 Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. TextColorOpacity Text BackgroundColorOpacity Caption Area BackgroundColorOpacity Font Size Text Edge Style Font Family End of dialog window. IN MASSACHUSETTS IS CALLING ON THE U.S. ATTORNEY TO INVESTIGATE THE STATE’S DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES AFTER THREE CHILDREN IN DCF CARE WERE KILLED.
Problems caused by cannabis are growing, but Mass. has failed to fund public awareness campaigns
Video Player is loading. Current Time 0:00 Duration 0:00 Remaining Time -0:00 Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. TextColorOpacity Text BackgroundColorOpacity Caption Area BackgroundColorOpacity Font Size Text Edge Style Font Family End of dialog window. FAMILIES ABOUT THE DANGERS. WHAT’S GOING ON? HOW YOU BEEN? GOOD. HOW YOU DOING? WELCOME BACK. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. JACKSON WEICHERT IS BACK AT INDEPENDENCE ACADEMY, A RECOVERY HIGH SCHOOL IN BROCKTON. JACKIE ATTACK.
State AG sues crypto kiosk operator for scamming customers
Video Player is loading. Current Time 0:00 Duration 0:00 Remaining Time -0:00 Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. TextColorOpacity Text BackgroundColorOpacity Caption Area BackgroundColorOpacity Font Size Text Edge Style Font Family End of dialog window. WCVB. NEWSCENTER 5. ALL RIGHT, SARA, THANK YOU. NEW ACTION TONIGHT FROM THE STATE’S ATTORNEY GENERAL. FOLLOWING REPORTING FROM FIVE INVESTIGATES.
What is Massachusetts doing to stop Bitcoin ATM scams?
Massachusetts residents lost at least $77 million dollars in Bitcoin ATM scams last year, and stand to keep losing money in 2026, despite a bill lingering in the State House that could help prevent the schemes. Janice Peltz is one of those victims, as previously reported by 5 Investigates. A scammer posing to be from her bank kept 86-year-old Peltz on the phone for hours while she withdrew $18,000 in cash and deposited it into a Bitcoin ATM.
Cannabis Control Commission questions study linking marijuana to mental health issues in youth
Video Player is loading. Current Time 0:00 Duration 0:00 Remaining Time -0:00 Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. TextColorOpacity Text BackgroundColorOpacity Caption Area BackgroundColorOpacity Font Size Text Edge Style Font Family End of dialog window. WITH CHAIR SHANNON O’BRIEN, MIKE ERIKA. OVER THE PAST YEAR, DOCTORS, PARENTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE TOLD US ABOUT THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF HIGH THC MARIJUANA.
Some Massachusetts cities ban Bitcoin ATMs, but is it enough to prevent scams?
Massachusetts residents have lost tens of millions of dollars in Bitcoin ATM scams this year, and some cities have taken matters into their own hands to prevent further fraud.
Some Massachusetts cities ban Bitcoin ATMs, but is it enough to prevent scams?
Massachusetts residents have lost tens of millions of dollars in Bitcoin ATM scams this year, and some cities have taken matters into their own hands to prevent further fraud.
As cold weather sets in, a warning about homelessness in Boston
Editorial Standards ⓘ Berline, a nursing assistant, was already living paycheck to paycheck when she was in a car crash.Serious physical injuries and mental health challenges followed, and soon she found herself homeless."But I never thought I'd be homeless," she said. "The shame was I didn't want to look like one of those crazy people that is homeless.
'It's almost like I was hypnotized': Bitcoin ATM scams trick victims into losing thousands
When 85-year-old Chelmsford resident Janice Peltz got a phone call from her bank about a fraud issue, she believed them and followed every instruction they gave. "That was what suckered me in," Peltz said. But it was not TD Bank on the end of the line; it was a scammer. The scammer, who kept Peltz on the phone for hours, directed her to the bank, where she took out $18,000 in cash. "He said, 'I don't want you to tell anybody.
Mass. Legislature considers bill to ban painful shocks as treatment
"Medieval." "Torture." "Not helpful." Speaker after speaker opposed the use of painful electric shocks on people when testifying Tuesday before the Massachusetts Legislature's Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities. It's used in only one place in the country: the Judge Rotenberg Center in Canton. "Isn't it really time that Massachusetts stopped these medieval practices?" one speaker said.
Some surprising Mass. state employees are still allowed to work from home
ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO STATE WORKERS. IT’S LUNCHTIME ON A BEAUTIFUL FALL FRIDAY IN BOSTON’S FINANCIAL DISTRICT. THE STREETS ARE ANYTHING BUT FULL OF LIFE. DOWNTOWN VIBRANCY IS A BYPRODUCT OF THIS WHOLE NEW WORK ENVIRONMENT. IT’S THE NOT SO NEW NORMAL FOR POST-PANDEMIC WORKERS WITH REMOTE OR HYBRID SCHEDULES. ACCORDING TO JIM ROONEY, THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE GREATER BOSTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. THE TRENDS ARE CLEAR.
Study ties pot legalization to rise in youth psychiatric emergencies in Mass.
Editorial Standards ⓘ More young people experiencing a psychiatric emergency began showing up in the emergency department of a Boston hospital with cannabis in their system after recreational marijuana was legalized than before, according to a new study.To Dr. Cheryl Foo, a psychologist at Mass General Brigham and one of the study authors, the results were "really startling."The researchers examined health records from 7,350 people treated by Mass General Hospital's psychiatric emergency...
Boston shelter fears SNAP cuts will leave children, moms hungry
Video Player is loading. Current Time 0:00 Duration 0:00 Remaining Time -0:00 Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. SARAH. THANK YOU FOR THAT. THE UPCOMING SNAP CUTS ARE CREATING RIPPLE EFFECTS ALL THROUGHOUT MASSACHUSETTS. TEAM 5 INVESTIGATES MIKE BEAUDET VISITED A DAY SHELTER IN BOSTON THAT PROVIDES MEALS TO VULNERABLE WOMEN WHERE THEY SAY THE END OF SNAP BENEFITS COULD REALLY BE DEVASTATING.
DA declines to re-try man in 1974 Roxbury shoe shop murder
TO HIS CAREER AT THE HOSPITAL. TONIGHT, A MAN WHO SPENT NEARLY 50 YEARS IN PRISON FOR THE KILLING, HE INSISTS HE DID NOT COMMIT, WILL NOT FACE ANOTHER MURDER TRIAL. HIS LAWYER IS CALLING IT A WONDERFUL DAY FOR JUSTICE. BUT THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE STILL BELIEVES THAT RAYMOND GAINES PARTICIPATED IN THE CRIME. FIVE INVESTIGATES MIKE BEAUDET HAS COVERED WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS FOR DECADES AND IS HERE WITH REACTION TO WHAT HAPPENED TODAY. MIKE MARIA.
New dashcam video shows crash that injured Rudy Giuliani on I-93 in NH
Video Player is loading. Current Time 0:00 Duration 0:00 Remaining Time -0:00 Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. WE’RE FOLLOWING BREAKING NEWS TONIGHT. FIVE INVESTIGATES HAS OBTAINED NEW VIDEO SHOWING THE CRASH INVOLVING FORMER NEW YORK MAYOR RUDY GIULIANI. LET’S GET RIGHT TO OUR MIKE BEAUDET. HE’S HERE WITH THE VIDEO AND WHAT YOU CAN SEE AND HEAR. MIKE ED. THIS CRASH HAPPENED ON I-93 IN NEW HAMPSHIRE BACK IN AUGUST.
At this Massachusetts farm, men find recovery from drug and alcohol abuse
Men struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues are finding their road to recovery through a farm in Gardner, Massachusetts. "The spirituality aspect of working with the animals, the physicality, you know, of getting out here every day, you know, and learning responsibility and whatnot, and the camaraderie between the guys is pretty nice, you know," said Travis McCourt, a resident at Evergreen Grove.
Advocates rally for reform on Wrongful Conviction Day in Massachusetts
Video Player is loading. Current Time 0:00 Duration 0:00 Remaining Time -0:00 Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. FOR YEARS. HE WAS AT THE STATEHOUSE FOR TODAY’S EVENT. MIKE BEN. IF YOU ARE WRONGFULLY CONVICTED OF A FELONY IN MASSACHUSETTS, THE MOST YOU CAN RECEIVE IN COMPENSATION FROM THE STATE IS $1 MILLION. BUT THE NEW ENGLAND INNOCENCE PROJECT MARKED THIS WRONGFUL CONVICTION DAY WITH A RALLY TO CHANGE THAT. HEY HEY HO HO.
At this farm, men find recovery from drug and alcohol abuse
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At this Gardner farm, men find recovery from drug and alcohol abuse
Men struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues are finding their road to recovery through a farm in Gardner, Massachusetts. "The spirituality aspect of working with the animals, the physicality, you know, of getting out here every day, you know, and learning responsibility and whatnot, and the camaraderie between the guys is pretty nice, you know," said Travis McCourt, a resident at Evergreen Grove.
Former head of the Mafia in New England dies at 68
Carmen "The Cheeseman" DiNunzio, known as one of the last of Boston's old-school mobsters, died Sunday at the age of 68. DiNunzio had been dealing with health problems in recent years, including two strokes. "He was just a really good guy," said his former attorney, Anthony Cardinale. "He was a serious man. He was a very respected man. But he was also a big hearted guy. He was also a very gracious guy, a very well read guy." Retired Massachusetts State Police Maj.
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