Mass. Bio's Finneran takes a felony plea deal

Thomas Finneran (photo) has pled guilty to a charge of obstruction of justice in a plea deal that clears him of perjury claims. Now the head of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, who earns $416,000 a year in the post, will see if he can keep the lucrative lobbying job. According to a report in the Boston Globe, Finneran enjoys the support of some big pharma players that want to keep the former Massachusetts House speaker and continue to utilize his political connections on key legislation. Smaller biotech companies, though, are worried that keeping Finneran would taint the industry's reputation as a clean, reputable enterprise.

- read the report on the maneuvering from The Boston Globe