Troopers Implicated, Not Charged, In OT Scheme Keep Pensions
BOSTON (AP) — Fourteen retired Massachusetts State Police troopers who were implicated, but not criminally charged, in an overtime fraud scheme can keep their pensions, the Massachusetts State Retirement Board has ruled.
Gov. Charlie Baker and the commander of the state police had asked the board to strip the pensions from the retirees, but because they aren't facing criminal charges, they can continue to receive their pensions, the board said in a March 6 memo The Boston Globe reported Friday.
The board also rejected a request to seek restitution from the retired troopers.
Baker and state Police Col. Christoper Mason disagreed with the board.
"The administration and the state police have provided the Retirement Board with extensive evidence of these members' wrongdoing and urge the board to recover these funds as the law permits," Baker spokeswoman Sarah Finlaw said in a statement.
State police spokesman David Procopio said agency officials are reviewing their options for further, potential legal action.
Forty-six current and retired troopers who worked for the now disbanded Troop E, which patrolled the Massachusetts Turnpike, were implicated in the scheme in which they collected overtime pay for shifts they either did not work or did not complete.
(© Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)