BOSTON (AP) - A former Massachusetts state trooper has been indicted for a fraud scheme that allegedly netted him more than $11,500 in unearned paid time off, state Attorney General Maura Healey’s office said Friday.
Former Lt. David Andrade, 47, allegedly submitted claims for 22 holiday compensatory days for shifts he did not work in 2018, according to prosecutors. Allegedly the scheme happened months after several other troopers and supervisors were arrested for collecting overtime pay for hours they hadn’t worked.
Andrade, who collected $192,348 in pay including $16,594 in overtime in 2018, retired in mid-August after serving as head of a state police barrack. He stepped down around the time he came under investigation and is collecting an $87,126-a-year pension.
State police say Andrade’s case prompted them to launch an internal audit of holiday-related pay entries for supervisors holding similar positions and now another officer from a different troop is under internal investigation.
“This should serve as a clear signal to those we serve that we will not tolerate criminal activity and will pursue criminal charges when appropriate,” Colonel Christopher Mason said in a statement.
Andrade will be arraigned in Bristol Superior Court at a later date, according to Healey’s office.
It is not clear if Andrade has a lawyer.
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