William J. Corcoran was an American lawyer who served as District Attorney of Middlesex County, Massachusetts from 1913 to 1917.
[4] On September 1, 1921, a former client, Scott Paul, sued Corcoran to recover a fair share of a $50,000 settlement he received.
Corcoran then moved to Port Chester, New York and attempted to resign from the Boston bar, but this request was refused and he was eventually disbarred.
[5] On December 27, 1921, Corcoran appeared in Suffolk County Superior Court and pled not guilty to charges of extortion and larceny.
[6] He agreed to turn over state's evidence in its case against Suffolk County District Attorney Joseph C. Pelletier, however he did not receive immunity and The Boston Globe reported that his motive was "an impulse of savage revenge" towards another lawyer.
[15] His final trial in Suffolk County ended on January 9, 1925 when jurors were unable to come to an agreement on the guilt of Corcoran and Hartnett on a conspiracy to extort case.
[13] On April 1 he was found guilty on one count of an indictment that charged him with extorting money from a married man in a Badger game.