BOSTON — GOP gubernatorial hopeful Mike Minogue is blasting what he calls a “two-tier justice system” in Massachusetts after pointing to a stark contrast between a Democratic insider charged with cocaine trafficking and an Air Force veteran who sat in jail for months without bail.

Minogue’s comments zero in on the case of LaMar Cook, a former aide in Gov. Maura Healey’s Western Massachusetts office who was arrested in Springfield and charged with cocaine trafficking, along with firearm and motor vehicle offenses. Despite the severity of the allegations, Cook was granted bail and released within roughly two weeks.

At the same time, Kyle Wayne Culotta, an Air Force veteran, spent more than 100 days locked up without bail after a traffic stop led to the discovery of firearms that were legally owned in another state but not licensed under Massachusetts law. Culotta was deemed “dangerous” under the state’s statute and held pretrial, even though prosecutors did not allege he threatened or harmed anyone.

When political insiders part of the one-party system under Maura Healey are released with bail in 2 weeks while a veteran, Kyle Wayne Culotta, sat in jail for over 100 days, it shows Massachusetts is working for some but not all.

Cook, a former aide in the Governor’s office…

— Mike Minogue (@MikeMinogueABMD) December 12, 2025

“That’s two systems of justice,” Minogue said, arguing that political proximity appears to matter more than equal treatment under the law.

Supporters of Culotta point to Massachusetts’ dangerousness statute, which allows judges to deny bail and hold defendants pretrial. They argue the law is being applied aggressively against ordinary residents while insiders receive more favorable outcomes. In Culotta’s case, they say, months of incarceration for a non-violent licensing offense highlights how unforgiving the system can be.

Cook’s case has intensified the backlash because prosecutors allege trafficking-level quantities of cocaine, not simple possession, alongside firearm violations — facts Minogue says make the bail decision impossible to explain on public-safety grounds alone.

Democratic leaders and prosecutors have not addressed the comparison directly, and defenders of the system caution that bail decisions are case-specific and rest with judges, not politicians. Still, the juxtaposition has become a rallying cry for Minogue as he campaigns as an outsider challenging one-party control on Beacon Hill.

For Minogue, the takeaway is simple: Massachusetts doesn’t just have tough laws — it has uneven justice. And until that changes, he argues, veterans and everyday residents will keep paying the price while insiders get a pass.