The Kickham Comment - Boston Criminal Attorney Blog

It seems that the desire in some people to scam and to scheme displays itself all to often. The latest illustration of this on a grand scale in Massachusetts started when a conductor on a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter train happened to notice that an MBTA pass appeared to have a different color than usual. The rider admitted that he bought it on Craig’s List. That was enough to fuel suspicions, and proved to be the tip of the iceberg, in which three people have already been charged with a series of crimes that include Massachusetts larceny over $250; Massachusetts conspiracy to commit larceny; making false entries in corporate books; and conspiracy to commit receiving stolen property.

So far, this incident seems to be the biggest fare-evasion scheme in MBTA history. The three defendants who have been charged so far have all pled guilty. They are accused of being part of an elaborate scam in which millions of dollars in illegal monthly passes were sold to riders on Craigslist. Defendants in criminal cases sometimes choose to plead guilty instead of electing a trial, which they are entitled to, when the evidence that the Commonwealth (prosecution) has against them is so strong, that agreeing to plead guilty in exchange for a reduced sentence, is the legally and strategically preferred option.

The toughest sentence of these three went to Andres Townes, the alleged ringleader who was arrested in May 2011. Mr. Townes was accused of printing in excess of 20,000 MBTA passes at a Beverly, Mass., facility, while he was working as an MBTA sub-contractor. Mr. Townes admitted to printing $4 Million worth of phony passes. He was sentenced to three years in state prison.

The next time you’re in a car, and you are stopped by a police officer, make sure to ask to see the policeman’s badge — through the window. As a Norfolk County criminal defense attorney, I know — You can never be too sure of who you are dealing with. People can fairly easily impersonate a police officer, to your detriment. It is a serious offense, despite what you have seen in movies and on television.

This past week, an Everett man was charged with a wealth of criminal offenses, including allegedly impersonating a Boston police officer. The man, John Perry Carrington, 44, was arrested on Monday around 12:30AM. Here’s what allegedly occurred: A Dorchester couple was reported to be driving in their car, enroute to purchase medicine for an asthmatic child. While driving, they allegedly made a U-turn and cut off Carrington’s car. Carrington then allegedly blocked their vehicle with his car, flashed them some sort of police badge, identified himself as a police officer, and told the couple he thought they were driving drunk.

Things are alleged to get even worse from that point. Carrington is reported to then have seized the couple’s cellphones, and told the couple he would follow them home, where he allegedly wanted to be paid $100 in cash, so that they could supposedly avoid a police citation. Reportedly, he even forced the couple to stay in their car at their home on Callender street in Dorchester, despite their requests to provide the medication to a child suffering an asthma attack.