BOSTON (WHDH) - One current MBTA employee and four former employees were charged Tuesday with falsifying Red Line track inspection records, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Brain Pfaffinger, 47, of Marshfield, Ronald Gamble, 62, of Dorchester, Jensen Vatel, 42, of Brockton, Nathalie Mendes, 53, of New Bedford, and Andy Vicente, 36, of Bridgewater, were indicted, the office said in a statement.
All five were charged with falsification of records, aiding and abetting, as well as false statements, aiding and abetting. They are set to appear in federal court Thursday.
Charging documents said former track inspectors Gamble, Vatel, Mendes, and Vicente stated they completed inspections for Red Line tracks between Sept. 3, 2024 and Oct. 15, 2024, when they were not actually performed.
Prosecutors said the four were inside Cabot Yard, an MBTA facility with a break room for inspectors, when some of the inspections were supposed to be completed. Gamble, Vatel, and Vicente are also accused of working on private vehicles during work hours.
According to the documents, Pfaffinger, the former supervisor for Gamble, Vatel, Mendes, and Vicente, knew the four were working on private vehicles and had them work on his own car.
Pfaffinger is accused of creating supporting documentation for Gamble’s Oct. 14, 2024 inspection, which he knew to be false, the office said.
In a statement, the MBTA said, “The MBTA thanks the U.S. Attorney’s office for their thorough investigation and diligent work toward holding people accountable for alleged criminal activity. As a public agency, it is our responsibility to be good stewards of public resources and deliver safe and reliable service to transit users. That’s why General Manager Phil Eng took immediate action to hold these employees accountable when this misconduct came to light. Their actions do not reflect the values of the MBTA, and they will not impact the improvements we continue to make across the system. We are taking these allegations very seriously, as we have an obligation to the public and to our workforce to ensure that every employee meets the highest standards of conduct.”
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