BOSTON (WHDH) - Three former Massachusetts State Police lieutenants have been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with the ongoing investigation of overtime abuse within the department.
It is alleged that these three lieutenants were paid thousands of dollars for overtime hours that they did not work at Troop E, the unit previously assigned to the Massachusetts Turnpike.
On Thursday, a Suffolk County Grand Jury indicted David Wilson, 57, of Charlton, John Giulino, 68, of Lanesborough, and David Keefe, 52, of Norfolk. Each was charged with one count of larceny over $250 by single scheme, procurement fraud, and false/fraudulent claim to employer, according to Attorney General Maura Healey’s Office.
At the time of the alleged offenses, Wilson, Giulino, and Keefe were supervisors in Troop E and responsible for overseeing criminal and traffic enforcement along the Massachusetts Turnpike, according to the AG’s Office.
An investigation revealed that Wilson, Giulino, and Keefe all allegedly submitted claims for pay for overtime shifts they did not work or from which they left early.
According to investigators at the AG’s Office, these alleged offenses occurred during overtime shifts for the Accident and Injury Reduction Effort program, which was intended to increase the presence of state police troopers on the Turnpike to deter excessive speeding and aggressive driving.
In 2016, Wilson, who was a shift commander in Troop E’s Duty Office in Boston, earned $259,476, including $103,447 in overtime pay.
According to the AG’s Office, Wilson allegedly submitted fraudulent claims for pay for at least 180 hours of overtime, resulting in him obtaining at least $19,000 for hours that he did not work. Wilson allegedly regularly scheduled his overtime shifts directly before his regular shifts but submitted claims for both shifts so that he was double paid for a number of overlapping hours.
In 2016, as commander of the Westfield barracks, Giulino earned $212,504, which included more than $53,073 in overtime pay.
The AG’s Office alleges that Giulino submitted claims for pay for over 99 hours of overtime that he did not work, resulting in him illegally obtaining at least $10,000.
In an attempt to conceal their misconduct, both Wilson and Giulino allegedly submitted falsified traffic citations to the police department to make it appear they had been issued during their overtime shifts, when in fact they were not issued during their overtime shifts or never issued at all.
As commander of the Weston barracks, Keefe earned $207,878 in 2016, which included $55,960 in overtime pay. He allegedly submitted claims for payment of at least 170 hours he did not work, resulting in at least $17,000 in overpayment.
“Today’s indictments stem from actions taken by the Massachusetts State Police to identify and hold responsible members of the former Troop E who had violated both the law and the code of conduct demanded by the Department and the public we serve,” Massachusetts State Police Col. Kerry Gilpin said in a statement. “My leadership team and I will continue to reinforce a culture of accountability through several fiscal and operational oversight reforms that we are implementing. Conduct such as alleged in these indictments has no place in this department.”
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