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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Feds allege MBTA workers falsified track inspection reports
BOSTON (SHNS) – Four former MBTA inspectors and one current T supervisor pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal charges that they falsified Red Line track inspection records while using an agency garage as their own 'automobile repair shop.' Prosecutors alleged the quintet of employees submitted or greenlit reports last fall describing track inspection work, despite surveillance video showing them engaged in conversation, using cellphones or working on motor vehicles at the same times that the inspections supposedly took place. Prosecutors charged 62-year-old Ronald Gamble of Dorchester, 42-year-old Jensen Vatel of Brockton, 53-year-old Nathalie Mendes of New Bedford, 36-year-old Andy Vicente of Bridgewater and 47-year-old Brian Pfaffinger of Marshfield with falsification of records and making false statements. All five pleaded not guilty, according to U.S. Attorney Leah Foley's office. 'The charges are a federal overreach into an internal personnel matter which should be handled by the MBTA, not the court system,' said Michael Tumposky, an attorney for Gamble. 'Mr. Gamble looks forward to exonerating himself at the conclusion of this process.' Attorneys for the other four defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Prosecutors alleged in the 25-page indictment that the quintet and other unnamed Red Line employees 'treated and operated the Cabot Garage as an automobile repair shop during MBTA work hours.' The falsification of reports allegedly took place between at least Sept. 3 and Oct. 15, 2024 while the MBTA was approaching the end of a year-long repair campaign designed to eliminate subway speed restrictions required by federal regulators due to concerns about the state of MBTA infrastructure. IndictmentDownload Prosecutors alleged that each of the four inspectors in that span filed a report claiming to have examined Red Line tracks. But during the timeframes they claimed to be out on the system, surveillance cameras recorded Vicente working on non-MBTA vehicles, Mendes sitting inside her car, Vatel chatting with other employees outside the Cabot Yard garage, and Gamble inside the garage moving private vehicles. In one case, the indictment alleged, 'Gamble claimed to have verified four separate defects, on different tracks, within one minute,' in the final minute before his inspection ended. Pfaffinger, who according to prosecutors still works at the T, allegedly submitted a false work order for a falsified inspection report filed by Gamble covering a period of time when the two were together inside the garage. Foley's office said Pfaffinger 'allegedly not only knew that his subordinates worked on private vehicles during work hours, but had his subordinates work on his own vehicle.' WCVB reported in October that employees at Cabot Yard were on leave amid an investigation into whether they worked on personal vehicles while on the job. By December, a total of eight employees had been terminated in connection to the probe, according to WCVB. Gamble, Vatel, Mendes and Vicente no longer work at the MBTA, according to the indictment, which describes them as 'former' employees. The indictment calls Pfaffinger a current employee and 'previously a supervisor.' MBTA Transit Police referred the matter to the U.S. attorney's office last year, the T said. 'The MBTA thanks the U.S. Attorney's office for their thorough investigation and diligent work toward holding people accountable for alleged criminal activity. As a public agency, it is our responsibility to be good stewards of public resources and deliver safe and reliable service to transit users. That's why General Manager Phil Eng took immediate action to hold these employees accountable when this misconduct came to light,' MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo said in a statement. 'Their actions do not reflect the values of the MBTA, and they will not impact the improvements we continue to make across the system. We are taking these allegations very seriously, as we have an obligation to the public and to our workforce to ensure that every employee meets the highest standards of conduct.' All five defendants face charges of making false statements and falsifying records. Inspections typically take place using MBTA-issued cellphones and an app called MaxTrax, according to the indictment. An inspector opens the app and walks the relevant length of track, recording any issues they observe, then confirms the process is complete by touching a finger to the phone and signing their name. The MBTA is overseen by the state Department of Public Utilities and by the Federal Transit Administration. The T conducted a major track overhaul campaign last year after a series of problems thrust infrastructure woes into the spotlight. Officials announced in November that successful repairs allowed the Red Line to run end-to-end without speed restrictions for the first time in at least 20 years. Also on Thursday, former MBTA Transit Police Sgt. David Finnerty was convicted of aiding and abetting the filing of a false report. Finnerty had been charged for helping to cover up the physical assault of a man by Transit Police Officer Dorston Bartlett. 'Finnerty helped Bartlett draft a false arrest report regarding the incident, with the intent to impede any federal investigation of Bartlett's unconstitutional use of force,' Foley's office wrote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
MBTA employees face federal charges of falsifying track inspection reports
Five current and former employees of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority were arrested Thursday on federal charges of falsifying track inspection reports, authorities said. The Justice Department said the MBTA staff filed reports claiming they had inspected tracks on the transit network's Red Line, when in reality, they had skipped the inspection and were inside a T maintenance facility at the time. Several of the employees were also charged with working on private vehicles at the facility during work hours. The employees all worked at the MBTA's Cabot Yard facility in South Boston, where the transit agency placed nearly a dozen employees on administrative leave last fall during an investigation into allegations they worked on non-MBTA vehicles during work hours. Brain Pfaffinger, 47, of Marshfield; Ronald Gamble, 62, of Dorchester; Jensen Vatel, 42, of Brockton; Nathalie Mendes, 53, of New Bedford; and Andy Vicente, 36, of Bridgewater face charges of aiding and abetting the falsification of records and aiding and abetting false statements. They were taken into federal custody Thursday morning and are expected to appear in U.S. District Court in Boston later in the day, according to the office of U.S. Attorney Leah Foley. Gamble, Vatel, Mendes and Vicente — former MBTA track inspectors — are accused of falsifying track inspection reports on the Red Line between Sept. 3 and Oct. 15 of last year. During times they claimed to have inspected railroad tracks, the employees were at the Cabot Yard facility, where they had access to a break and coffee room for inspectors, prosecutors said. Gamble, Vatel and Vicente are also accused of working on private vehicles during work time. Pfaffinger, their former supervisor, 'not only knew that his subordinates worked on private vehicles during work hours, but had his subordinates work on his own vehicle,' prosecutors said. MBTA announces commuter rail schedule change to allow major rail replacement MBTA Orange Line floods during nor'easter; shuts down service Foxboro MBTA commuter rail station work rushing to be ready by FIFA games Mass. man struck and killed by Commuter Rail train remembered as 'dear and humble' Berated, spat on, and even stabbed: Can a new bill stop assaults on bus and train drivers? Read the original article on MassLive.
