5 current and former MBTA employees accused of lying about performing Red Line track inspections

WBZ

By Victoria D, Brandon Truitt

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    Massachusetts (WBZ) — Five current and former MBTA employees have been arrested after they allegedly lied about Red Line inspections they were supposed to do last year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

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 have all been indicted for falsification of records, among other charges. All five were MBTA track inspectors; the MBTA said four stopped working for them last year and the fifth person is currently on leave.

Allegedly worked on private vehicles

According to court documents, the five employees falsified track inspection reports, claiming they performed track inspections when they really didn’t. Court documents said the five were seen on surveillance video elsewhere, including a parking lot and working on private vehicles, when they were supposed to be performing track inspections.

Pfaffinger, who was the supervisor, allegedly not only knew about this but is also accused of having subordinates work on his own vehicle.

“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,” the MBTA said in a statement.

In the indictment, prosecutors said each suspect made between $144,000-$240,000 last year, including overtime payouts of up to $120,000.

“That sounds like fraud,” said Red Line rider Cadri Folami. “That sounds like it.”

“We need that taxpayer money to go to more improvements on the Red Line so that it can be better run,” said Red Line rider Chloe Jensen.

The five face up to 20 years behind bars for falsifying records, along with three years of supervised released and a $250,000 fine.

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