< Back to front page Text size – +

Lawmaker says she was unaware driver was inmate's girlfriend

E-mail|Link|Comments () June 1, 2009 12:30 PM

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

State Representative Gloria L. Fox said today that she was unaware that the woman who drove her to a state prison and then accompanied her on a visit to a convicted murderer last month was the convict’s girlfriend.

Breaking her silence, the Roxbury Democrat said she was visiting the inmate, Darrell Jones, to look into “serious issues internally with a few corrections officers” that had erupted after Jones recorded a short film about prison life, “Voices From Behind the Wall." A day after the visit, Jones was transferred from the segregation unit at Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater to MCI-Norfolk, which is favored by inmates because of its large yard and relatively generous free time.

The state corrections officers' union has accused Fox of claiming during the visit that the girlfriend, Joanna Marinova, was her aide. Jones's lawyer has denied the accusation. State prison officials have said they are looking into Fox’s visit, but have not said why.

“I was totally unaware that there was an alleged relationship between Ms. Marinova, who was a member of the 'Voices From Behind the Wall' production team, and my transportation to the facility that day,” Fox said in a statement e-mailed to reporters. “I refuse to have anyone cast me as a perpetrator of any kind for doing my duty as a public servant. With that said, there really isn't anything else to this story and I will not comment any further.”