REVERE, MASS. (WHDH) - Two city employees in Revere have been placed on leave after a recent audit found they could be responsible for stealing more than $90,000 in parking meter payments.
Officials met Monday night at Revere City Hall to discuss an audit ordered by Mayor Brian Arrigo that uncovered two cases of potential parking meter fraud.
About $92,000 in parking revenue was unaccounted for following the audit, likely due to “decades of mismanagement,” according to Arrigo.
“It’s really not a $92,000 problem, it’s probably more like a hundreds of thousands of dollars problem,” he said.
Revere police and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office are investigating as two parking department employees are suspended without pay.
City Councilor Dan Rizzo is questioning the timing of the investigation and wants to know why zero deposits were made in 18 of the last 24 months.
“You should absolutely contact law enforcement, and in this case, I believe the FBI,” Rizzo said.
The city council ultimately voted to request assistance from federal investigators and the state auditor.
“To have local Revere police conducting this I think is foolhardy,” Rizzo said. “This is a situation that absolutely requires FBI intervention.”
Arrigo says he plans to look into what he believes could be possible mismanagement across all city departments.
“This is really about the confidence level of our residents and making sure we’re bringing back confidence to City Hall,” he said.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)