Joseph Nee, Overtime Fraud, Massachusetts 2021

BOSTON – A former Boston Police officer has been brought to justice in a major overtime fraud scheme that swindled thousands of dollars from the city. Joseph Nee, 48, of Randolph, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds and one count of embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds.

According to court documents, Nee submitted false and fraudulent overtime slips for overtime hours that he did not work at the Boston Police Department’s evidence warehouse between January 2015 and August 2017. The scheme involved two overtime shifts: the ‘purge’ shift, which was a 4 – 8 p.m. weekday shift intended to dispose of old, unneeded evidence, and the ‘kiosk’ shift, which involved driving to each police district in Boston one Saturday a month to collect old prescription drugs to be burned.

Nee claimed to have worked a full shift during the ‘purge’ shift, but he routinely left at 6 p.m., or earlier. For the ‘kiosk’ shift, Nee submitted overtime slips claiming to have worked eight-and-one-half hours, when in fact he and, allegedly, other members of the unit only worked three-to-four hours of those shifts.

As a result, between January 2015 and August 2017, Nee personally collected approximately $12,636 for overtime hours he did not work. This is just one case of the widespread overtime fraud scheme that has been uncovered at the Boston Police Department.

In September 2020, nine Boston Police officers were arrested and charged for their roles in an overtime fraud scheme that is alleged to have collectively embezzled over $250,000 between May 2016 and February 2019. The investigation is ongoing and several other officers have been charged.

The charge of embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss. The charge of conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.

U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for Sept. 24, 2021. Nee was charged on June 4, 2021. Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell and other officials announced the guilty plea today.

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