The highest court in Massachusetts, the Supreme Judicial Court, has confirmed the conviction of a five-time drunk driver for driving with a revoked license, citing a WBZ-TV I-Team investigation as evidence. 

In October and November 2021, the I-Team found William Foley Jr. driving a Mercedes SUV three times without a license. He was confronted outside his home in Dedham and asked why he was behind the wheel. He claimed at the time the Registry of Motor Vehicles had given him his license back, but he could not provide proof.

The registry had already taken away Foley's right to drive for life after the five-time drunk driver killed a young mother in 2001. Over the years, he made failed attempts to get his license back. 

After the I-Team's investigation aired in April 2022, Dedham Police charged Foley with operating after revocation.

18 month sentence

Months later, a judge found Foley guilty and sentenced him to 18 months in the House of Correction.

The then-61-year-old appealed his conviction, claiming the police did not give him a citation and prosecutors did not have enough evidence that he was driving with a revoked license. On Tuesday, the Supreme Judicial Court mentioned the WBZ I-Team video and confirmed Foley's conviction. 

In a statement Foley's attorney Erin Opperman said, "I am disappointed by the SJC's decision in Commonwealth v. Foley today. Their opinion operates to constrict the rights afforded to individuals in Massachusetts under GL c 90C, s2, and expands the reach of a mandatory jail sentence in GL c. 90, s 23. In my opinion, there was no statutory or precedential basis for this outcome, but they unfortunately disagreed." 

• I-Team