3 to be arraigned for alleged no-show MBTA jobs

October 1, 2008 09:17 AM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

By Globe Staff

Three men accused of having no-show jobs at the MBTA are scheduled to be arraigned today in Suffolk Superior Court on charges of allegedly filling out time sheets to get paid for work they did not perform, according to the attorney general's office.

Michael O'Toole, 49, of Milton; Francis Flaherty, 52, of South Boston; and Christopher Peatridge, 64, of Saugus face two counts of larceny over $250 and two counts of presentation of false claims.

Flaherty and Peatridge worked at MBTA job sites as construction inspectors, while O'Toole was a resident engineer. All were required to be on-site daily to oversee work by general contractors, the attorney general's office said.

A joint investigation by the attorney general and inspector general found that Peatridge and O'Toole allegedly cheated on their time sheets on various days in 2004 and 2005, while Flaherty cheated on his in 2006.

"Authorities allege that all three men made or presented false time sheets showing that they had worked a full eight-hour day during the indicated time periods, when in fact they had either worked less than eight hours, or in some instances not at all. The men got paid based on the submission of these false time sheets," the attorney general's office said in a statement issued after the men were indicted last month by a Suffolk County grand jury.

Both O'Toole and Peatridge have retired from the MBTA. Flaherty was suspended without pay last month.

After last month's indictment, O'Toole declined to comment. Neither Flaherty nor his attorney, Timothy Flaherty of Boston, returned a message seeking comment. There was no telephone listing for a Christopher Peatridge in Saugus.