Judge denies bail review for former gubernatorial aide LaMar Cook

Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald on Jan 8, 2026

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BOSTON — A judge denied a bail review for former Healey Administration aide LaMar Cook Thursday in a short appearance at Hampden County Superior Court.

Cook is accused of trafficking cocaine while working for Governor Maura Healey as her Western Massachusetts deputy director. He was arrested in October after prosecutors said he had a shipment of cocaine delivered to a state office building where he worked.

At a dangerousness hearing in November, a judge set the bail at $75,000 for the trafficking charge and reduced bail for additional gun charges (possession of a firearm and ammunition without an FID card) from $25,000 to $10,000. Initially, Cook was being held without bail. The judge also stipulated that Cook would need to surrender his passport if he was released.

For the moment, Superior Court Judge Sarah Hamilton said those conditions would hold.

“Further review of the bail at the Superior Court is not proper,” Hamilton told Cook and his counsel, denying the review.

Assistant District Attorney Kerry Beattie had argued there was no precedent for an additional review.

“I tend to agree with the Commonwealth,” Hamilton said.

Had he been able to argue in front of the judge, Cook’s lawyer Kedar Ismail said he would have mentioned several classes that Cook has been taking since he was incarcerated. He’d brought a legal envelope to the courtroom with certificates Cook has earned.

Outside the courtroom, Ismail said that he would pursue other future opportunities to reduce his client’s bail. He said that when Cook is indicted in Superior Court, he’d like to try again.

The sum is “not just something you just pony up,” Ismail said, explaining that Cook’s family have been trying to raise the funds to get the defendant released. Many of them were present in the Springfield courtroom Thursday.

The Herald reported earlier this week that Cook faced debt issues before he was charged with drug trafficking. From 2014 to 2025, he was taken to court by creditors three times, with judgements against him totaling almost $10,000.

Healey’s office also filed a complaint against Cook Wednesday, requesting he return the more than $20,000 the government accidentally paid him for his sick and vacation time, even though he had been fired for cause. When they tried to reverse a direct deposit, the state was unable to get the money back because Cook had insufficient funds.

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