A man who used to be in charge of maintenance for Boston public school buses is accused of taking nearly $1 million in bribes and kickbacks.

Federal investigators say Michael Muller of Millbury had vendors charge more for their services and then took some of the profit for himself, totaling $870,000.

John Colantuoni of Westwood, a vendor who allegedly worked with Muller, is also facing charges.

Boston school bus yard director charged

The U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts said that Muller's employer, Transportation Company, had a contract with Boston schools to manage operations of over 700 school buses. Muller supervised all Transportation Company employees who worked in the bus yards where the fleet was kept when not on the road.

Prosecutors said that from 2010 to December 2021, Muller solicited and accepted bribes and kickbacks that included cash, checks, a used pickup truck, and building materials for his vacation home. Muller is also accused of requiring a vendor to hire his adult child.

Muller is accused of having one vendor invoice Transportation Company $189,444 for clearing snow off roofs of school buses, work that was never done. Instead, federal prosecutors allege, Muller received most of the money.

"Families and taxpayers trust that the people overseeing their children's school buses are doing the right thing, not looking for a payout. As alleged, these defendants broke that trust — treating taxpayer-funded contracts as a source of illicit income and, for years, siphoning off money that should have supported students. Their alleged conduct undermines confidence in a system that families rely on every day," U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley said in a statement. "We are committed to rooting out corruption wherever it occurs and ensuring that public dollars are used for public good."

City worked with federal investigators

A Boston Public Schools spokesperson said in a statement that the district has cooperated with investigators.

"When BPS became aware of the allegations in 2022, the district immediately contacted law enforcement, ensured Muller's firing, and has fully cooperated with the investigation ever since," the spokesperson said. "The new bus contract, signed in 2023, requires greater transparency and stronger oversight of payments for maintenance and facilities related work. BPS will continue to fully cooperate with law enforcement to ensure individuals who have betrayed the public trust are held fully accountable."

Muller was charged with five counts of soliciting and accepting bribes as an agent of BPS, five counts of conspiring to commit bribery, five counts of conspiring to commit honest services mail fraud and four counts of extortion.

Colantuoni was charged with one count of paying bribes to Muller as an agent of Boston Public Schools, one count of conspiring to commit bribery, one count of conspiring to commit honest services mail fraud and one count of obstruction of justice.