Personal Life
On August 17, 2007 John J. Donovan was convicted of staging an elaborate hoax which included shooting himself in the stomach—as part of a bizarre attempt to accuse his oldest son of being involved in a plot to kill him. Prosecutors say John Donovan's lied to them and the police. They called his actions a "corruption" of the criminal justice system. The judge called John Donovan "bizzare." Donovan was sentenced to two years' probation. Donovan was shot twice in the stomach in the parking lot of his office in Cambridge, Massachusetts on the night of December 16, 2005. After being released from the hospital he told police that he suspected that his son had arranged the shooting. In May 2006 he was indicted for filing a false police report about the incident, and in August 2007 he was convicted of the charge. After a long appeal, in August 2010 the trial judge denied Donovan's motion for a new trial saying there were no grounds to retry the case. His lawyers have announced they will take the case to appeals court.
Donovan is married to Linda Donovan. He has five children. He works closely with his youngest son, John Donovan, Jr.
One of his three daughters accused him of child molestation in 2002; the abuse purportedly took place 40 years ago. Donovan has consistently denied that there was any abuse of any kind. A spokesman for Donovan has said that she made the accusations to gain leverage in a financial dispute. In addition, several legal battles have been waged with four of his five children over claims to his fortune and real estate holdings. His youngest son, John Donovan Jr., has acted as a peacemaker in the family dispute.
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