Four Men Indicted in Connection with Fraudulent EMT Recertification Scheme

Five men affiliated with the Woburn-based company were indicted Thursday in connection with a fraudulent EMT recertification scheme, according to the state Attorney General’s Office.

Thomas Codair Sr., 49, of Cambridge, a former Emergency Medical Technician instructor, is accused of allegedly creating and submitting training records falsely showing dozens of emergency personnel attended required courses they needed to maintain their certification, according to a statement from Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office.

Four top executives of LifeLine Ambulance have also been indicted for their roles in taking advantage of Codair’s scheme, according to the statement.

According to the statement, co-defendants are President and CEO Brian Connor, age 49, of Arlington; Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Kulis, 37, of Wilmington; Vice President Michael McPherson, 38, of Billerica; and Vice President Brian O’Connor, 39, of Woburn.

Codair was an EMT instructor who taught refresher training courses to police officers and firefighters, according to the statement. He is charged with four Office of Emergency Medical Services violations for false statements in documents, aiding and abetting others to evade OEMS, and three counts of conspiracy to commit an OEMS violation, according to the statement.

The co-defendants are each charged with violations for false statements to OEMS and evading OEMS requirements, and a charge of conspiracy to commit an OEMS violation, according to the statement.

Authorities allege that, while teaching four refresher courses at Medford Police Training Academy, Codair permitted EMTs to sign course rosters without attending the courses. He then allegedly submitted the rosters to OEMS, falsely certifying all signers’ attendance at those courses, enabling them to qualify for recertification.

Investigators also say that Connor, Kulis, McPherson and O’Connor each signed attendance rosters for a 2007 refresher course without having attended any of the classes.

Codair worked as an EMT at Arlington-based Armstrong Ambulance, but the charges are not related to his role there, said Harry Pierce, a spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office.

Armstrong Ambulance CEO Scott Moore said Codair left the company in 2006, prior to the incident that led to criminal charges.