The defense attorneys at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, PC, earned their keep this week. While he joined an ever-lengthening list of high-profile criminals from Boston, Arthur Winn, a top developer with ties to former state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson, escaped jail time and probation, and instead received a $100,000 fine.

The fine, levied by U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith Dein, comes after he pleaded guilty to offering up campaign contributions through strawmen and family and friends acting as conduits. That called for a prison sentence, federal prosecutors had argued before recommending six months and a $200,000 fine.

“This is not simply the case of a wealthy individual trying to hide contributions to candidates whose political positions he supports,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum. “Winn made his illegal conduit contributions, in part, with the hope that these elected officials would be generally inclined to support the Winn Companies projects.”

One such project was Columbus Center, which would have built hotels, condos, and retail stores over the Turnpike. Wilkerson was a top supporter of the project, which eventually fell apart.

Over eight years, Winn’s illegal contributions amounted to $64,000, according to prosecutors. Wilkerson, who was caught on video jamming cash up her bra in a separate bribery case, was among the beneficiaries of Winn’s largesse. The former Roxbury Democrat is serving a 42-month sentence and does not show up in Winn’s plea for a light sentence, despite Winn referring to her as a “close friend” in a 2009 Boston Globe article.

Winn’s attorneys sought to paint Winn, a 72-year-old Brookline resident, as the farthest thing from an influence peddler, whose supposedly minor crimes were overshadowed by a complex campaign finance system.

“No request for help was ever rejected, regardless of the status of the requester,” they wrote in describing his allegedly generous nature. They did not mention the $10,000 Winn gave to Wilkerson, supposedly as a “gift” to help her with tax debts.

And in an effort to showcase his good side, they trotted out letters from supporters. “It has been a gift to have a man whose selfless and many times anonymous acts of kindness and strategic thinking has literally taken mothers and children out of squalor, danger and violence and brought them in from the cold,” wrote Judith Beckler, president of St. Mary’s Center for Women and Children in Dorchester.

For her part, the hard-charging U.S. Attorney, Carmen Ortiz, said Winn’s actions hurt public confidence in fair elections.

“The government recommended a six-month jail sentence for Mr. Winn because of the seriousness of his conduct and to act as a deterrent for wealthy donors who use conduits to funnel money to political candidates,” she said in a statement. “We will continue to pursue these election crimes and press for incarceration rather than fines, holding individuals accountable for their actions.”

Kelly Timilty, dead at 49, Governor’s Councillor

Kelly Timilty, first elected to the Governor’s Council in 1994, died early Tuesday morning. The cause of death was not immediately available, though media reports cited a “brief illness.” A wake is scheduled for Friday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Gormley Funeral Home in West Roxbury. A 10 a.m. Saturday Mass is scheduled at St. Theresa’s, which is also in West Roxbury.

Timilty represented the Second Governor’s Council District, which includes parts of Boston, as well as Braintree, Milton, Dedham, Norwood, Randolph and Wellesley, among others. She attended St. Gregory’s grammar school in Dorchester and worked as a staffer for the late Congressman Joseph Moakley (D-South Boston).

The Governor’s Council is an eight-member institution that meets about once a week and reviews and approves the governor’s judicial nominations.

Gov. Deval Patrick said in a statement, “Kelly was a kind and friendly person who loved public service and was an effective voice for her constituents on the Governor’s Council.”

East Boston councilor eyes probate job run

Councillor Sal LaMattina of East Boston is weighing a run for register for the Suffolk Probate and Family Court.

LaMattina told the Reporter he is talking with constituents to “see if this is the right move.” He said he loves being a councillor, but he would be able to work with -- and help -- families in the register post. LaMattina was elected to the City Council in 2006. He worked at the Crossroads Family Shelter between 1985 and 1987, according to his biography on the City Council’s website.

The current register, Sandra Giovannucci, was tapped as temporary register of Suffolk Probate and Family Court last year, after Richard Iannella said he was retiring. An election to pick the permanent register is set for this fall.

Iannella, a former city councillor, served for 14 years in the post, which comes with a $110,000 annual salary.

LaMattina has worked in the mayor’s office of neighborhood services as the liaison for East Boston, and later did a stint as assistant director of the City of Boston Central Artery Team. In 1999, he became director of operations at the Boston Transportation Department, a position he held until his election to the City Council.

LaMattina, 52, is a lifelong East Boston resident and a UMass Amherst graduate. He is not up for reelection as a councillor until 2013.

UMass Boston’s Bernard leaving for private sector

A year after rejoining UMass Boston, a former top aide to Gov. Deval Patrick is on the move again. Effective Feb. 10, Arthur Bernard, vice chancellor for government relations and public affairs, will be heading to the private sector.

He’ll be joining up with a former boss, Robert Travaglini, at Travaglini, Eisenberg and Kiley LLC, a government relations firm. Travaglini served as state Senate president, and for four years Bernard was his chief of staff.

Bernard started at UMass Boston in 2007, leaving a year later to become a top aide to Patrick. He returned to UMass last February. His portfolio included the Bayside Expo property that UMass purchased, communications between elected officials and the university about campus construction, and the implementation of project labor agreements, according to an announcement sent out to the university community last week.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Material from State House News Service was used in this report. Check out updates to Boston’s political scene at The Lit Drop, located at dotnews.com/litdrop. Email us at newseditor@dotnews.com and follow us on Twitter: @LitDrop and @gintautasd.