Christopher Richard Flanagan is an American politician who serves as a member of the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...

for the 1st Barnstable district, representing Brewster, Dennis, and Yarmouth. Flanagan has represented the district since 2023. In April 2025, he was indicted on federal charges of wire fraud and falsification of records; prosecutors allege that he misappropriated money from the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Cape Cod when he worked for the association. Flanagan has pleaded not guilty.Denise Coffey & Melina Khan
State Rep. Flanagan pleads not guilty to fraud in federal court, faces calls to step down
''Cape Cod Times'' (April 11, 2025).

Career

Flanagan was born in

Easton, Massachusetts Easton is a New England town, town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,058 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Greater Boston area. Easton is governed by an elected Select Board. Town meeting, Open Town Meeti ...

.Rich Eldred
Meet the three candidates running for 1st Barnstable District
''Wicked Local'' (October 7, 2022). He graduated from Emmanuel College in 2010 and received a master of degree from the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associa ...

.Chris Flanagan '10
Emmanuel College. He served two terms on the

select board The select board or board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms. Three is the most common num ...

of the Town of Dennis; he was elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2020, and served as chair of the board. In 2022, Flanagan was elected as a Democrat to the

from the 1st Barnstable district, which consists of the

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The ...

towns of Dennis, Yarmouth, and

Brewster Brewster may refer to: People *Brewster (surname) *Brewster Kahle (born 1960), American computer technologist * Brewster H. Shaw (born 1945), American astronaut * Grace Brewster Hopper (born 1906), American computer scientist, mathematician, and ...

. He flipped a seat previously held by Republican

Tim Whelan Tim Whelan (November 2, 1893 – August 12, 1957) was an American film director, writer, producer and actor, best remembered for his writing credits on Harold Lloyd and Harry Langdon comedies, and for directing mostly British films, such as ''Th ...

, who decided not to seek reelection to the House and instead made an unsuccessful bid for Barnstable County sheriff. After taking office in

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, Flanagan became a member of the House Committee on Labor and Workforce Development.State labor officials tour Local 12 Apprenticeship Training Center
''New England Real Estate Journal'' (April 21, 2023). In 2024, Flanagan admitted to have created a fictitious person ("Jeanne Louise") whose name was used on a campaign fliers sent to voters in 2022 on behalf of a group named "Conservatives for Dennis"; following an Office of Campaign and Political Finance investigation, Flanagan accepted responsibility for the campaign finance law violation; he paid a personal penalty of $9,000 and his campaign paid a $6,000 penalty. From 2019 to 2024, Flanagan was an executive officer for the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Cape Cod, a

trade association A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific Industry (economics), industry. Through collabor ...

.Melina Khan
Cape Cod Rep. Chris Flanagan arrested on wire fraud, falsification of records charges
''Cape Cod Times'' (April 11, 2025), USA TODAY NETWORK - New England. In September 2024, the association complained to authorities about Flanagan, whom they accused of misappropriation and fraud. Local authorities opened an investigation, which was later taken over by federal investigators. The existence of the investigation was publicly reported in January 2025. In April 2025, Flanagan was indicted on five counts of

wire fraud Mail fraud and wire fraud are terms used in the United States to describe the use of a physical (e.g., the U.S. Postal Service) or electronic (e.g., a phone, a telegram, a fax, or the Internet) mail system to defraud another, and are U.S. fede ...

and one count of falsification of records; federal prosecutors allege that Flanagan stole $36,000 from the HBA from 2021 to 2023 via direct debit transactions, using the money to pay personal expenses, including his mortgage, credit card bills, and

psychic A psychic is a person who claims to use powers rooted in parapsychology, such as extrasensory perception (ESP), to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance; or who performs acts that a ...

services, as well as to fund his campaign account. Flanagan pleaded not guilty. After the indictment was unsealed, many Massachusetts political figures called upon Flanagan to resign, including Governor

Maura Healey Maura Tracy Healey (born February 8, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 73rd governor of Massachusetts since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she served as Massachusetts Attorney Ge ...

and Cape Cod state senator Julian Cyr.

Committee Assignments

For the 2025-26 Session, Flanagan sits on the following committees in the House: * House Committee on Climate Action and Sustainability * Joint Committee on Advanced Information Technology, the Internet and Cybersecurity * Joint Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries * Joint Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Management For the 2023-24 Session, Flanagan sat on the following committees in the House: * Joint Committee on Advanced Information Technology, the Internet and Cybersecurity * Joint Committee on Agriculture * Joint Committee on Financial Services * Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development

Personal life

Flanagan is married and has three children.

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flanagan, Chris Democratic Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives People from Dennis, Massachusetts Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century members of the Massachusetts General Court Corruption in the United States Naval War College alumni Emmanuel College (Massachusetts) alumni Selectmen in Massachusetts