The former head of the state’s Probation Department as well as a former aide to ex-Treasurer Tim Cahill pleaded not guilty today to campaign finance and conspiracy charges.
John O’Brien, the former probation chief, answered “not guilty” to the multiple indictments read against him in Suffolk Superior Court this morning.
Scott Campbell, who worked as Cahill’s chief of staff, then replied “not guilty” in a barely audible voice to similar charges.
An assistant attorney general recommended they be released on personal recognizance and a magistrate judge agreed.
The men and their attorneys brushed past a crowd of reporters this morning without commenting as they left the courthouse.
Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office indicted the men earlier this month and alleged that they conspired to organize a campaign fundraiser for Cahill in 2005 in return for a job for O’Brien’s wife.
Campbell served as the contact between the Probation Department and the Cahill’s office.
