Former Brockton Police Lieutenant Charged with Fraud in Pension Scheme, Reports U.S. Attorney

4 November 2006

A former police Lieutenant for the City of Brockton, who also served as Director of Security for the Plymouth County House of Correction, has been charged in federal court with fraudulently inflating his pension by abusing his sick leave in order to hold two full-time public safety positions during the same three-year period.

United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan; Kenneth W. Kaiser, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in New England; and Gregory W. Sullivan, Inspector General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, announced today that a federal grand jury returned an Indictment charging CHARLES BRADSHAW LINCOLN, age 65, of Middleboro, Massachusetts, with two counts of mail fraud.

"It is outrageous to cheat the system to pad one's retirement pension as is alleged here. In a time of shrinking budgets and state resources, tax payers deserve to have their dollars spent honestly and wisely," stated U.S. Attorney Sullivan. "We are committed to working with our partners in law enforcement to protect the tax dollars and pension funds of citizens of the Commonwealth from fraud and abuse."

According to the Indictment, LINCOLN was employed by the Brockton Police Department for approximately 32 years and held the rank of Lieutenant when he ended his employment there in January 2004. From January 2001 to January 2004, LINCOLN was also employed by the Plymouth County Sheriff's Department as Director of Security for the Plymouth County House of Correction. During that three-year period, LINCOLN was assigned to the night shift in Brockton and ordinarily worked days in Plymouth.

"This case was jointly investigated by the FBI and the Inspector General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts," stated FBI Special Agent in Charge Kaiser. "Both agencies remain committed to vigorously investigating all allegations of public corruption in the State of Massachusetts."

The Indictment charges that LINCOLN engaged in a pattern of deception, falsely claiming he was sick or injured and unable to work, using sick days for one or the other of his jobs in order to avoid having to show up at both of his jobs on a daily basis. It is alleged that during calendar year 2003, LINCOLN used 106 days of sick leave at the Brockton Police Department. According to the Indictment, by combining sick leave, vacation and personal days, LINCOLN worked at the Brockton Police Department approximately 60 full days and 14 partial days during 2003.

"We are gratified that the Grand Jury has returned the Indictment and we appreciate that U.S. Attorney Sullivan recognizes that pension fraud is a serious issue," stated Massachusetts Inspector General Gregory Sullivan.

The Indictment alleges that LINCOLN was able to hold both jobs for the final three years prior to his retirement by this pattern of claiming sick leave at one job and showing up at the other job (for a different shift on the same day). In so doing, LINCOLN boosted his annual compensation for those three years to an average of approximately $177,000 per year. As a result, when LINCOLN retired in January 2004, he was awarded a pension of $139,787 per year, for life.

"While an employee, if sick, is entitled to use his sick leave, it is a fraud on the Massachusetts tax payer for a healthy employee to lie and claim he is sick, solely to permit him to show up and work a second job, all for the purpose of maximizing his pension," added U.S. Attorney Sullivan.

LINCOLN is scheduled to appear in federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joyce London Alexander on Thursday, November 2, 2006, at 12 p.m. for arraignment. If convicted, LINCOLN faces up to 20 years' imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine, on each count in the Indictment.

The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Office of the Inspector General for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul G. Levenson in Sullivan's Public Corruption Unit.

The details contained in the Indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: prnewswire

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