Five longshoremen convicted in timecard fraud scheme

By Caitlin Castello, Globe Staff

Five longshoremen have pleaded guilty to larceny, fraud, and conspiracy charges after an investigation revealed that they cheated on their timecards, the attorney general's office said today.

James Flaherty, 63, Michael Flaherty, 56, and Dennis McDonough, 66, of Boston; and John Morgan Sr., 66, of Weymouth were convicted yesterday of larceny over $250, defrauding the government, and conspiracy. The fifth man, Mark McKeon, 57, of Lynn was convicted of three counts of larceny over $250, two counts of defrauding the government, two counts of conspiracy, and 75 counts of unemployment fraud.

Investigators found widespread instances during 2003-2004 when the longshoremen altered their timecards in order to falsely increase the number of hours they worked in a year, the attorney general's office said.

The men worked at the Massachusetts Port Authority’s Conley Terminal in South Boston. The attorney general’s office was contacted in April 2005 when Massport had concerns about longshoremen placing young children on the payroll at the docks. The investigation uncovered widespread schemes to defraud Massport and other marine shipping businesses, the attorney general's office said in a statement.

• Comment
• Permalink
• Email