3 MSP troopers charged with embezzlement in alleged OT scandal

BOSTON - Three Massachusetts State Troopers have been arrested and charged with embezzlement  after lying about overtime shifts they did not work.

Two of the troopers accused are recently retired and one recently suspended.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, 57-year-old former lieutenant David Wilson of Charlton, 50-year-old former trooper Paul Cesan of Southwick, and 45-year-old trooper Gary Herman of Chester were charged in three separate criminal complaints.

RELATED: State Police troopers under investigation for overtime abuse scandal

Authorities said the fraud occurred in 2016 when all the troopers were assigned to Troop E, which enforces criminal and traffic regulations along the Massachusetts Turnpike and has since been disbanded.

Retired Lieutenant David Wilson earned $230,000, where the federal government says he billed $12,000 in overtime shifts he didn't work.

Retired Trooper Paul Cesan made $163,000, where $30,000 of it came from alleged overtime fraud.

Gary Herman took home $227,000, of which $12,000 were deemed false.

Similar to what Trooper Herman did, it appears that Trooper Cesan also altered citations to create the appearance that he had written them during certain overtime shifts when, in fact, he had not done that.

The overtime shifts were part of a federal program designed to reduce crashes on the Pike.

One of the ways investigators confirmed the fraud was through signals sent out by the radios in the troopers' cruisers, which showed in some cases they were at home when they were supposed to be working on the Pike.

"Let me be clear that overtime charges are the beginning and not the end of this federal investigation," said Andrew Lelling, the U.S. Attorney for Boston. "There will be ongoing federal enforcement in this area."

MORE: Elimination of Troop E among reforms to Mass. State Police

"Wilson, who served as the officer-in-charge of several overtime shifts, along with troopers Herman and Cesan are alleged to have received overtime pay for hours they either did not actually work at all, or shifts in which they departed one to seven hours early," said U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling. 

The three accused men appeared in U.S. District court on Wednesday.

All three of them were ordered to surrender their passports as well as any guns they may own before they were released without having to post any bail.

More than 30 troopers have been flagged for possible overtime abuse.

State Police says it's now regularly monitoring it's highest earners as the federal investigation continues.

Full affidavit of arrests:

David W. Wilson

Paul Cesan

Gary Herman

Stay with Boston 25 News for updates as we learn more.  

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