Chief U.S. District Judge, District of Massachusetts, presiding over United States v. Farwell

Hon. Denise Jefferson Casper

Photo: U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons

Bench Watch Brief · Profile in brief

Denise Jefferson Casper is chief judge of the federal court in Massachusetts. She presided over the trial of former Stoughton officer Matthew Farwell, whom a jury convicted on Nov. 10, 2026, and she set his sentencing for Feb. 3, 2027. President Obama nominated her in 2010. A former federal and state prosecutor, she presided over the 2013 Whitey Bulger trial. Federal judges serve for life.

Before the bench

Massachusetts Appeals Court clerk (1994–95); private practice in Boston (1995–98); Assistant U.S. Attorney in Massachusetts (1999–2005); Boston University law instructor (2005–07); Middlesex County deputy district attorney (2007–10).

Highlights and issues

Notable rulingOctober 1, 2026
Denies Farwell's second request to move the trial out of Massachusetts
Notable rulingJune 24, 2026
Permanently blocks parts of a 2025 presidential executive order on federal elections
Notable rulingMarch 4, 2016
Appeals court upholds Whitey Bulger's conviction and agrees with her pretrial ruling on his immunity claim

Tracker · covers 2013–2026 · updated November 14, 2026

Judge Denise Jefferson Casper's record in serious criminal cases

Bench Watch logs decisions by Chief U.S. District Judge Denise Jefferson Casper in serious criminal cases, from court records and news reports. It isn't a complete record. It includes her rulings in the Matthew Farwell trial and past sentences, including Whitey Bulger's.

19 entries · select a column to sort

						Source
2026	United States v. Farwell	Venue	Denied a second request to move the trial out of Massachusetts	Defense asked to move it		SourceCase file
2026	United States v. Farwell	Expert testimony	Allowed two experts who say the victim was strangled to testify			SourceCase file
2026	United States v. Farwell	Dismissal	Denied the motion to dismiss the superseding indictment	Defense asked to dismiss		SourceCase file
2025	United States v. Jermall Anderson	Sentence: seven counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, plus coercion and enticement and interstate transportation for prostitution (guilty plea)	15 years and 5 years of supervised release			Source
2024	United States v. Misael Fabian Medina	Sentence: attempted sex trafficking of a child, in an undercover sting with no real child (jury trial)	15 years			Source
2024	United States v. Gustavo Kinrys	Sentence: $19 million health care fraud and obstruction (jury trial)	99 months and 3 years of supervised release			Source
2024	United States v. Xiaolei Wu	Sentence: cyberstalking and threats against a person who posted pro-democracy fliers (jury trial)	9 months and 3 years of supervised release	Prosecution: 33 months and 3 years of supervised release; defense: time served	Below the prosecution's request, above the defense's	Source
2023	United States v. Ernesto Herrera	Sentence: coercion and enticement of a minor online (guilty plea)	12 years and 5 years of supervised release			Source
2023	United States v. Patrick Plummer	Sentence: travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, in an undercover sting, and related counts (guilty plea)	13 years and 5 years of supervised release			Source
2023	United States v. Randall Crater	Sentence: “My Big Coin” cryptocurrency fraud of more than $7.5 million (jury trial)	100 months, 3 years of supervised release and $7.67 million forfeiture			Source
2022	United States v. Vincent Caruso	Sentence: leading a violent fentanyl-pill trafficking organization, with firearms and robbery-conspiracy counts (guilty plea)	250 months and 5 years of supervised release			Source
2022	United States v. Paul Weddington	Sentence: receipt of child sexual abuse material (guilty plea)	12 years and 5 years of supervised release			Source
2022	United States v. Arismendy Gil-Padilla	Sentence: trafficking 16 guns, ammunition and drugs (guilty plea)	11 years and 6 years of supervised release			Source
2021	United States v. Ramon Martinez	Sentence: felon in possession of a firearm (guilty plea)	40 months and 3 years of supervised release			Source
2021	United States v. Sean Gleason	Sentence: receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material	68 months and 5 years of supervised release			Source
2021	United States v. Shuren Qin	Sentence: illegal exports to a Chinese military university, and related fraud and smuggling counts (guilty plea)	2 years, 2 years of supervised release and a $20,000 fine			Source
2021	An Essex County resident (name withheld to protect a child)	Sentence: sexual exploitation of children, and distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material (guilty plea, August 2020)	30 years and 5 years of supervised release			Source
2016	United States v. Jaquan Casanova	Sentence: witness tampering by attempted murder, and lying to a federal agent (jury trial)	28 years and 5 years of supervised release			Source
2013	United States v. James "Whitey" Bulger	Sentence (racketeering, including 11 murders)	Two consecutive life terms plus 5 years	Prosecution: what she imposed	Matched the prosecution's request	Source

How we built this, and what's missing

Cases we follow in this courtroom

Video · Bench Watch
Criminal trialVerdict
United States v. Matthew Farwell
D. Mass. · No. 1:24-cr-10259-DJC
A federal jury in Boston convicted former Stoughton, Mass., police officer Matthew Farwell on Nov. 10, 2026, of killing Sandra Birchmore, 23, and her unborn son in February 2021. Jurors found him guilty on both counts, of killing a witness and of causing the death of an unborn child. Life in prison is mandatory. Sentencing is Feb. 3, 2027.
Updated November 14, 2026 · 4 min read

Sources

Federal Judicial Center: biographyOther