A former captain from the Boston Police Department found himself on the wrong side of the law last Friday. He was found guilty of falsely claiming overtime hours for himself and his team. This act cost the taxpayers a hefty sum, running into hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent overtime payments.
Richard Evans, a 65-year-old resident of Hanover, faced conviction on several charges. These included conspiracy to commit theft from federally funded programs, theft from such programs, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and wire fraud itself. The announcement came from the office of Joshua Levy, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. Evans, who had dedicated 37 years of service to the department, was among its most senior officers at the time of his crimes.
His role as the commander of the department’s Evidence Control Unit (ECU) from May 2012 to March 2016 placed him in charge of approving overtime pay for ECU officers. This pay was 1.5 times their regular rate. Almost immediately upon assuming command, Evans began submitting and approving overtime slips that significantly overstated the hours worked. He submitted “hundreds” of such slips for himself, according to prosecutors.
Furthermore, Evans approved false time sheets for subordinate ECU officers. These sheets made it appear as though officers were completing entire four-hour overtime shifts when they were only working one or two hours. Evidence at the trial showed that Evans had deceived his superiors about this overtime scheme to hide the fact that officers were inflating their hours.
The consequences of this fraud were significant. Over his three and a half years as commander, Evans received more than $120,000 in overtime payments, in addition to his base salary of over $200,000. He was arrested and charged in March 2021 and is set for sentencing on June 20.
Joshua Levy made a statement emphasizing the expectation for law enforcement officers to uphold the law. He noted that Evans’ actions were not reflective of the Boston Police Department or its dedicated officers. However, he stressed the importance of holding those who prioritize their greed over public duty accountable.
Evans now faces a potential 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for the theft charges. For the wire fraud charges, he could be looking at 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
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