Two plead not guilty to trying to bribe a witness; Police say Santa Maria, girlfriend entered into plot to get change in testimony.

• Author: Murray, Gary V.
• Position: Local

Byline: Gary V. Murray

WORCESTER -- Patsy Santa Maria Jr. and his girlfriend, Ashleigh M. vanGerven, pleaded not guilty Friday to charges stemming from an alleged attempt to bribe a witness in Mr. Santa Maria's August trial on assault charges.

Mr. Santa Maria, 42, and Ms. vanGerven, 28, both of 15 Old Orchard Circle, Boylston, were each arraigned in Worcester Superior Court on charges of witness intimidation and conspiracy to intimidate a witness. The charges relate to what police and prosecutors said was a plot to pay a scheduled witness at Mr. Santa Maria's trial up to $25,000 to alter his testimony to make it appear Mr. Santa Maria was acting in self-defense when he assaulted another man in 2011 at Pat's Service Center and Towing on Shrewsbury Street, a business owned by Mr. Santa Maria's father.

The witness was allegedly offered money to testify that he sent the victim, one of his employees, to Pat's to forcibly collect money owed to him by the elder Mr. Santa Maria. Prosecutors alleged that the the man was assaulted by Patsy Santa Maria Jr. and his brother, David Santa Maria, and that the attack was unprovoked.

Patsy Santa Maria Jr. ended up pleading guilty before the trial ended, and the witness was never called to the stand.

He, Ms. vanGerven and a North Brookfield landscaper, Scott K. Johnson, were indicted Monday on witness intimidation and conspiracy charges in connection with the alleged bribery attempt.

Mr. Johnson, 45, of 100 Old East Brookfield Road, North Brookfield, is awaiting arraignment in Worcester Superior Court.

Mr. Santa Maria's 70-year-old father, Patsy Santa Maria Sr., is also a co-defendant in the case and has similar charges pending against him in Central District Court.

Judge Shannon Frison released Ms. vanGerven on personal recognizance Friday, and the younger Mr. Santa Maria was released from custody after posting a total of $15,000 cash bail. Both cases were continued to Dec. 18.

The amount of Mr. Santa Maria's bail had been agreed to by Assistant District Attorney Terrence M. Reidy and Mr. Santa Maria's lawyer, Peter L. Ettenberg. Bail on the...