Article - April 19, 2008 - Eagle Tribune

De La Cruz supporters turn court arraignment into a quiet rally

By Mark E. Vogler

SALEM, Mass. — Allegations that he conspired with others to stage phony car crashes and file false injury claims threaten to ruin the career of popular Lawrence attorney Socrates De La Cruz.

But yesterday's arraignment of De La Cruz on 19 counts of auto insurance fraud-related charges became a rally of support for the 34-year-old Methuen man the moment he walked into the upstairs courtroom at Salem Superior Court.

Otto De La Cruz carried a Bible, which he held throughout the proceedings to show spiritual support for his brother.

Soon after entering the courtroom, attorney De La Cruz — one of two lawyers among eight people recently indicted by a grand jury initiated by the state attorney general — was hugged by a court officer. A few court employees who got to know and like the former prosecutor as they watched a promising legal career unfold over the years offered him well wishes.

Attorney Gary Zerola, a close friend and classmate from Suffolk University Law School where they graduated together in 1998, was there to lend his support.

"I'll stand by him till the day I die," said Zerola, another former prosecutor who knows what it's like to be prosecuted.

Zerola, one of People magazine's most eligible bachelors of 2001, stands accused of rape in Miami, Fla. He's been found not guilty in Massachusetts in two cases involving similar charges. He is a former Suffolk County prosecutor.

De La Cruz has been held up as a role model ever since he rose from a hard life on the streets of Lawrence to be honored as the 1991 National Youth of the Year by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. He paused outside the courthouse after yesterday's hearing to speak publicly for the first time since the charges.

Instead of answering questions, he made a brief statement thanking the public for the overwhelming support he's received since his indictment became public last week and to promise that he would fight to clear his name.

"I want to make sure I say 'thank you' to the literally hundreds of people who reached out to me ... people who know me, people in the legal community, people in the city of Lawrence and people all over Essex County," De La Cruz said.

"My faith is in the truth and trust in God. ... After a jury hears this case, I'm confident that I'll be exonerated," he said.

De La Cruz faces numerous charges, including eight counts of conspiracy and five counts of filing false motor vehicle insurance claims. He was indicted along with Andover attorney James Hyde, 56, of Boxford; North Andover chiropractic clinic operator Michael Kaplan, 46, of Hampstead, N.H; and Haverhill chiropractic clinic operator Troy Wheelwright.

Investigators say the four licensed professionals paid the same stable of "runners" — independent contractors who organize the fake accidents — to recruit passengers to participate in the scams and later file fraudulent insurance claims.

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