Thursday, 4:30 PM
T retiree arraigned on theft charges
(George Rizer/Globe Staff)
Robert Gibson pleaded not guilty today to charges that he skimmed $40,000 in tokens and coins during his 17-year career at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
By Globe Staff
A retired MBTA electrician, accused of stealing thousands of T tokens over 17 years on the job, redeemed 5 percent of all tokens on the entire T system during January and February, prosecutors said in court documents filed today.
T workers spotted Robert P. Gibson, 69, converting the tokens into the T's plastic fare cards, regularly showing up at Wellington station between 3 and 4 p.m. on weekdays. At Wellington and Malden stations, he allegedly exchanged 3,500 tokens worth about $4,300, more than 80 percent of tokens redeemed at those stations over the two months, prosecutors said in the documents.
He was arraigned on charges he skimmed $40,700 from fare boxes he repaired -- what T officials say is one of the largest theft in the history of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
Gibson pleaded not guilty to a single count of larceny over $250 by continuing scheme, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Clerk Magistrate Gary D. Wilson released Gibson on his own recognizance and ordered him to return to court on June 6.
When detectives searched Gibson's home in Revere and found bucketfuls of tokens, he told them they "came from work" and acknowledged that exchanging tokens for CharlieCards amounted to theft, according to the documents.
