MBTA employee accused of on-time guarantee scam

January 29, 2008 01:36 PM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

By Globe Staff

An MBTA employee has been charged with larceny after police allege he falsified $465 worth of refunds in a scheme that took advantage of the transit system’s on-time guarantee.

Adam Lodge is accused of issuing bogus refunds to Tawanna Oliver, who allegedly redeemed the tickets for cash at the commuter rail sales windows. The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority’s on-time guarantee offers riders a refund if service is delayed more than 30 minutes.

Lodge is a 23-year-old from Dorchester who had worked for the MBTA’s Revenue Audit Department for six months. He and Oliver, also 23 and from Dorchester, are scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Boston Municipal Court.

"It is always disappointing when someone abuses the public trust, but we also want to assure the public that when that trust is abused, the violator will end up in court," acting Transit Police Chief Paul MacMillan said in a statement.

Transit officials allege that Lodge issued bogus refunds for $15.50 -- the value of a round-trip commuter rail ticket from Zone 8, which is the maximum fare that can be redeemed under the on-time guarantee. Another MBTA employee became suspicious of Oliver and notified her supervisor, according to transit officials.

A check revealed that Oliver was not on a list of people who had applied for a refund. Transit police were then able to work backward and uncover previous transactions. Oliver was identified from her driver’s license, which she presented in order to cash in the refund tickets, transit officials said.

“Not only do we ask our customers to say something if they see something, we ask it of our employees as well,” MacMillan said. “This employee was alert to a potential problem and should be commended.”