Bridgewater inmate and his wife are accused of defrauding a man out of 10,000 people

A man and his wife incarcerated at Bridgewater are accused of defrauding another inmate's elderly father out of thousands of dollars with false promises of a reduced conviction and sentence.

According to the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office, Brian Vines, 49, and Shayna O'Leary, 50, were each charged with one count of theft by false pretenses over $250 and one count of conspiracy. O'Leary is also accused of practicing law without a license.

The DA's office alleges that while Vines was incarcerated at the Old Colony Correctional Facility in Bridgewater, he claimed his wife was a criminal defense attorney. She allegedly said she could reduce a fellow inmate's sentence and reduce his second-degree murder conviction to manslaughter if the man's family would pay for it. The inmate contacted his 86-year-old father in January 2023 and allegedly asked him to hire O'Leary.

“Vines and O'Leary worked together to defraud the victim through a series of telephone calls, falsified legal documents and persistent representations that monies paid to O'Leary were in exchange for legal services provided,” a statement from the DA's office said.

The inmate and his family eventually became suspicious and contacted the Massachusetts Department of Corrections Investigative Services Unit in August 2023. By then, the family had reportedly paid the couple more than $10,000 in exchange for what they believed was their loved one's early release. The inmate is not eligible for parole until November 2033, the prosecutor's office said.

Prosecutors said Vines and O'Leary will be arraigned in Brockton Superior Court at a later date.