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Two Former Massachusetts State Police Supervisors Arrested On Federal Corruption Charges

AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA

Alex Corey Contributor
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Two former Massachusetts State Police officers were arrested Friday in Boston on corruption charges in connection to an overtime scheme that dates back to 2015, federal authorities said.

Former Lieutenant Daniel J. Griffin, 57, of Belmont, and former Sergeant William W. Robertson, 58, of Westborough, have been charged with conspiracy, federal programs embezzlement, and wire fraud, according to a statement released by Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling.

From 2015 to 2018 two former supervisors and other troopers in the Traffic Programs Section at State Police Headquarters in Framingham allegedly conspired to embezzle thousands of dollars in federally funded overtime by frequently arriving late to, and leaving early from, overtime shifts funded by grants created to improve traffic safety, according to the statement. (RELATED: Boston Police Officers Charged With ‘Stealing Taxpayer Money’ In $200,000 Overtime Scheme)

When the allegations of corruption came from light in 2017 and 2018, Griffin, Robertson, and their coconspirators took steps to avoid getting caught, including shredding and burning records and forms, Lelling said.

Authorities said Griffin was supposed to be on the job for the police, he was running his security business KnightPro. From 2012 to 2019, the former lieutenant raked in nearly $2 million in his security business revenue and of that total, he allegedly hid over $700,000 in earnings from the IRS.

Griffin allegedly used hundreds of thousands of Knightpro income to pay for his personal expenses, including expenses relating to his second home on Cape Cod, car payments, private school tuition for his children, and golf club expenses, according to the statement.

Both men face one count of conspiracy and one count of theft concerning a federal program, the statement said. Robertson faces four counts of wire fraud, while Griffin additionally faces eight counts of wire fraud and 11 counts of assisting in filing false tax returns.

Griffin was also charged with defrauding a private school attended by two of his children by hiding his KnightPro income and misleading the school in the financial aid applications, Lelling said. He reportedly received $175,000 in financial aid from the private school over the course of several years.

Both men were scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston on Friday, according to authorities.