BOSTON (WHDH) - A pair of former Massachusetts State Police lieutenants charged in the department’s ongoing overtime abuse investigation pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of filling out bogus time sheets for hours they never worked.
John Giulino, 68, of Lanesborough, and David Keefe, 52, of Norfolk, faced a Suffolk Superior Court judge after they were indicted by a state grand jury on larceny charges.
Giulino and Keefe, supervisors who were assigned to the now-dismantled Troop E, were responsible for overseeing troopers who patrolled the Massachusetts Turnpike.
Both men submitted falsified time sheets to make it look like they were working shifts they either left early or didn’t work at all, according to prosecutors.
Defense attorney Thomas Burke believes the former troopers will be acquitted after a jury is presented with all of the evidence.
In March, the department announced an investigation into the apparent overtime abuse and said 21 troopers assigned to Troop E were being looked at. That number has since grown to more than 40.
Former troopers Gary Herman, 45, of Chester, Gregory Raftery, 47, of Westwood, and Kevin Sweeney, 40, of Braintree, have all pleaded guilty to embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds.
Giulino and Keefe were released on personal recognizance. They are due back in court in December.
A third lieutenant is due in court in next week to answer to similar charges.
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