Teamsters Indicted for Attempting to Extort TV Crew Filming in Milton

Five members of Teamsters Local 25 were indicted Wednesday on federal extortion charges for allegedly harassing the crew of a television show that filmed in Milton and Boston last year.

Mark Harrington, 61, of Andover; John Fidler, 51, of Holbrook; Daniel Redmond, 47, of Medford; Robert Cafarelli, 45, of Middleton; and Richard Jeffrey, 55, of Woburn, are charged with at least once extortion scheme in connection to the harassment of the “Top Chef” staff according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

“The indictment alleges that a group of rogue Teamsters employed old school thug tactics to get no-work jobs from an out of town production company,” said United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz in a statement. “In the course of this alleged conspiracy, they managed to chase a legitimate business out of the City of Boston and then harassed the cast and crew when they set up shop in Milton. This kind of conduct reflects poorly on our city and must be addressed for what it is – not union organizing, but criminal extortion.”

According to the indictment, the production company, which is not named, had obtained the permits to film around Boston but chose to hire their own crew as opposed to Teamsters Local 25. The men then allegedly attempted to for the company to pay them for unnecessary work through a series of threats.

On June 10, the men showed up to the Steel & Rye in Milton and began walking in lockstep to the entrance where they chest-bumped and stomach-bumped crew members in order to forcibly enter the restaurant.

It is alleged that the men continued to threaten crew members with physical violence while yelling racial and homophobic slurs. At one point, the men were observed blocking a food delivery truck and nine cars belonging to the crew were found to have slashed tires.

The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.