Local businessman Antonio Costa, who is set to testify in the federal government’s case against former mayor Jasiel Correia II, has placed his South Main Street property up for sale with a price tag of $2 million.
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FALL RIVER — Local businessman Antonio Costa, who is set to testify in the federal government’s case against former mayor Jasiel Correia II, has placed his South Main Street property up for sale with a price tag of $2 million.
Real estate listings indicate that the 50,000-square-foot building is located at 251-221 S. Main St., at the corner of Spring Street, and was put on the market last month.
According to the Patriot Properties website, Costa purchased the 100-year-old building in 2012 for $400,000.
The city’s assessor’s office values the building and land at $385,900.
The building is one structure in the area of South Main Street identified in an urban renewal plan for redevelopment or a possible taking by eminent domain.
Correia twice rented space in Costa's South Main Street property, using a section of the building to house his campaign headquarters in 2015 and 2017 in two successful mayoral races.
Costa is one of three co-conspirators who pleaded guilty last September for his role in a pay-to-play scheme allegedly orchestrated by Correia and Gen Andrade, Correia's former chief-of-staff and campaign manager.
Costa — along with Hildegar Camara, Correia’s former executive director of the Bristol County Training Consortium, and local businessman and landlord David Hebert — took plea deals before pleading guilty in Boston federal court.
In a second superseding indictment handed up by a federal grand jury that includes 24 criminal counts against Correia, Costa is identified as “Middleman #1” and accused of extorting and aiding and abetting extortion of two marijuana vendors in exchange for Correia issuing letters of non-opposition and host agreements needed to pursue state marijuana licenses.
The South Main Street property itself has a connection to the case against Correia.
According to a federal indictment, after Correia was re-elected in 2017, he and Andrade met Costa at the South Main Street building at the campaign headquarters.
Using money from Correia’s campaign coffers, the then-mayor and Andrade met Costa with a $3,900 rent check.
Federal prosecutors allege that Correia then told Costa he had to give him $3,900 in cash and he complied.
“Middleman #1 understood that this cash payment to Correia was part of a stream of benefits that he agreed to pay to Correia in exchange for favorable official action and assistance from the Mayor,” the indictment states.
Andrade is alleged to have warned Correia and Costa not to exchange cash in front of the storefront windows.
Costa is also accused of supplying Correia with a “Batman” Rolex watch in exchange for the city’s payment of excavation work at another of his properties on Kilburn Street.
Correia and Andrade are expected to go to trial May 4.
A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled for Costa, Camara and Hebert.
Email Jo C. Goode at jgoode@heraldnews.com.