Another Trooper Arrested As Two Plead Guilty in OT Scandal

BOSTON -- An eighth Massachusetts State Police trooper has been arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation into overtime abuse at the department and will appear in federal court later Wednesday.

Heath McAuliffe, 40, of Hopkinton, was arrested Wednesday morning and charged with embezzling at least $9,825 in overtime pay between August 2015 and August 2016 for hours he did not work when he claimed to be on the job enforcing criminal and traffic regulations along the Massachusetts Turnpike.

The complaint issued by U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling alleges that McAuliffe “concealed his fraud” by submitting altered traffic citations that had been issued prior to the overtime shift to make them appear that they occurred at a different time.

He may have also submitted citations to supervisors that were never given to drivers.

McAuliffe earned $164,680 in 2016, including approximately $60,908 in overtime, and earned $180,215 in 2015, including approximately $83,496 in overtime.

Two other troopers previously charged in the overtime scandal also agreed to plead guilty, according to Lelling. Retired troopers David Wilson, 58, of Charlton, and Daren DeJong, 57, of Uxbridge, pleaded guilty in plea agreements filed Wednesday to accepting $12,450 and $14,062 respectively in overtime payments for hour they did not work. Lelling has agreed to recommend a sentence of between six months and 12 months in prison, based on the plea.

This is a developing story