Joseph Pelletier is charged with blackmail and racketeering.

The charges against the Suffolk County Sheriff are brought by the New England Watch and Ward Society, which had previously been criticized him for failing to close down brothels. Although the charges are subsequently dropped, Pelletier is removed from office by the Supreme Judicial Court on February 21, 1922, ending a controversy which pits Boston’s Yankees against its Catholics. Pelletier is subsequently disbarred and loses a bid for reelection.