Daren DeJong, Embezzlement, Massachusetts 2023

BOSTON, Massachusetts - A retired Massachusetts State Police Trooper, Daren DeJong, 57, of Uxbridge, was arrested and charged with embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds. DeJong will appear in U.S. District Court in Boston today.

According to court documents, DeJong was a MSP Trooper assigned to Troop E, which is responsible for enforcing criminal and traffic regulations along the Massachusetts Turnpike, Interstate I-90. DeJong allegedly received overtime pay for hours that he either did not actually work at all, or shifts in which he departed one to seven hours early.

The alleged conduct involves overtime pay for selective enforcement initiatives, including the Accident and Injury Reduction Effort program (AIRE) and the 'X-Team' initiative. Both initiatives are intended to reduce accidents, crashes, and injuries on I-90 through an enhanced presence of MSP Troopers and targeting vehicles traveling at excessive speeds.

DeJong earned $179,000 in 2016, which included approximately $63,000 in overtime, of which $14,062 was attributable to AIRE and X-Team shifts that DeJong either left early or did not show up for. In 2015 and 2016, MSP received annual benefits from the U.S. Department of Transportation in excess of $10,000, which were funded pursuant to numerous federal grants.

DeJong was required to work the entire duration of the shifts – either four or eight hours – and truthfully report the date, time, and sector of deployment on the citations issued during the shift. As alleged, DeJong concealed the fraud by submitting citations that were issued prior to the overtime shift, altered the citations to create the appearance that citations were issued during the overtime shift, and/or submitted citations that were never issued and never took place.

The charge of embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss.

U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling said, 'Mr. DeJong, who was sworn to uphold the law, betrayed the public trust by embezzling funds from the Massachusetts State Police. Today's arrest is another step in our ongoing effort to root out fraud and ensure that public funds are appropriately used.'

FBI Special Agent in Charge Harold H. Shaw added, 'As alleged, Mr. DeJong abused his position and betrayed the public's trust by stealing thousands of dollars from overtime shifts he did not work. Instead of enforcing the rules of the road and cracking down on aggressive drivers, he selfishly lined his pockets with paychecks from bogus shifts at the expense of hard-working taxpayers.'

DeJong's arrest is the fifth in the ongoing investigation of overtime abuse at the Massachusetts State Police. Former Lieutenant David Wilson, 57, of Charlton; Trooper Gary Herman, 45, of Chester; and former Trooper Paul Cesan, 50, of Southwick, were arrested and charged with the same crime in June 2018. Former Trooper Gregory Raftery, 47, of Westwood, pleaded guilty on July 2, 2018.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/fifth-massachusetts-state-trooper-arrested-overtime-abuse-investigation