3rd MA State Trooper Agrees To Plead Guilty In Overtime Abuse

BOSTON – A suspended Massachusetts State Police Trooper agreed to plead guilty today in connection with the ongoing investigation of overtime abuse at the Massachusetts State Police, the

Gary Herman, 45, of Chester, who was previously arrested on June 27, was charged with one count of embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds. Herman agreed to a plea deal and plans to plead guilty, making him the third trooper to do so, according to the US Attorney's Office for Massachusetts.

Herman was assigned to Troop E, which was responsible for enforcing criminal and traffic regulations along the Mass Pike, Interstate I-90. In 2016, Sweeney earned $227,826, which included approximately $63,053 in overtime pay and was paid for overtime shifts that he did not work at all or from which he left early, according to court documents.

The trooper indicated he is willing to admit that much like all the others accused, he concealed his cheating of the system by submitting fraudulent citations designed to create the appearance that he had worked overtime hours that he had not, and falsely claimed in police paperwork and payroll entries that he had worked the entirety of his overtime shifts.

On multiple occasions Herman fabricated bogus citations, copying the driver information from citations that he had issued months earlier, in order to be paid for overtime shifts he did not work at all, the court documents said.

Herman has agreed to plead guilty to collecting $12,468 for overtime hours that he did not work.

The overtime in question involved the Accident and Injury Reduction Effort program (AIRE) and the “X-Team” initiative, which were intended to reduce accidents, crashes, and injuries on I-90 through an enhanced presence of state troopers who were to target vehicles traveling at excessive speeds.

In 2016, the state police received annual benefits from the U.S. Department of Transportation in excess of $10,000, which were funded pursuant to numerous federal grants.

On July 2, 2018, former Trooper Gregory Raftery, 47, of Westwood, pleaded guilty, and on Sept. 14, 2018, suspended Trooper Kevin Sweeney, 40, of Braintree, pleaded guilty.

Three other Troopers have been charged: on June 27, 2018, former Lieutenant David Wilson, 57, of Charlton; and former Trooper Paul Cesan, 50, of Southwick, were arrested and charged with the same crime. On July 25, 2018, retired Trooper Daren DeJong, 56, of Uxbridge, was charged.

As part of the plea agreement, the government will recommend a sentence of between six and 12 months of incarceration. He faces up to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss for the charge of theft of government funds.

MA State PD Overtime Scam: Former Trooper Indicted

3 MA State Troopers Arrested For Stealing Government Funds

Catch up on the State Trooper overtime scandal:

• State Police Scandal Update: GPS On Cruisers, Troop E
• State Police Reforms: Troop Eliminated, Body Cams, More

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Photo by Jenna Fisher, Patch staff