Biotech council says it won't act today on Finneran's status

The Massachusetts Biotechnology Council will wait until at least Monday to decide the fate of Thomas M. Finneran, the group's president, who pleaded guilty today to obstruction-of-justice charges. The powerful former Speaker of the Massachusetts House earns more than $400,000 from the drug-industry trade group, which must decide whether to keep him aboard with a felony on his record. In a statement today, council chairman Michael Webb said the council "understands the seriousness of today's developments in court," and would discuss Finneran's job at a board meeting in the near future. The federal charges against Finneran stem from his time as a legislator.
(By Stephen Heuser, Globe staff)

Thomas M. Finneran was hired in 2004 as president of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council.