Robert Kennedy, Wire Fraud, Massachusetts, 2024

Former Stoneham Police Officer Arrested for Wire Fraud

Robert Kennedy, a 53-year-old resident of Stoneham, Massachusetts, was arrested and charged with one count of wire fraud. The charges were announced by United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division.

According to the charging document, Kennedy allegedly provided false information in rental applications to fraudulently obtain three separate apartment leases. After moving in, he would intentionally withhold rent payments, despite making $141,000 to $187,000 a year from the Stoneham Police Department.

Specifically, it is alleged that Kennedy defrauded his most recent landlord by submitting materially false and fraudulent information during the rental application process. The landlord required Kennedy to submit to a tenant screening service, which included a credit check and eviction history check. Instead of providing his own date of birth and social security number, Kennedy allegedly provided the date of birth and social security number of a relative who shared his first and last name.

As a result of the alleged scheme, Kennedy lived in the apartment for approximately four months without making rent payments and currently owes the landlord approximately $14,000 in overdue rent.

The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elysa Q. Wan of Rollins’ Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao, Chief of Rollins’ Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit, are prosecuting the case. The Stoneham Police Department provided valuable assistance in the investigation.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. Kennedy is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. He will appear in federal court in Boston today at 10:30 AM.

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