Six troopers implicated in the Massachusetts State Police overtime scandal are facing termination, the department announced Thursday night, but 16 others will keep their jobs.
State police determined that disciplinary action would be taken against 21 of 22 current department members who "submitted false payroll records or bills for overtime not actually worked" while on the now-defunct Troop E.
Of that group, police said Thursday, one trooper was fired Monday after the allegations were upheld by a department trial board. If the board sustains the allegations against five others, police said the department will "likely" terminate them.
Fifteen other troopers will be suspended without pay for lengths of time ranging from 60 to 841 days. Police said those suspensions are commensurate with the number of fraudulent overtime hours for which they were paid. Three of the suspended troopers received credit for time served on suspension after their transgressions came to light in 2018, according to state police.
More on the Massachusetts State Police overtime scandal
In the case of one other trooper, police said the internal affairs investigation revealed an administrative error had led to an improper billing of four overtime hours. That trooper was not punished, but issued a supervisory observation letter.
The suspended troopers are also being required to pay full restitution on the amount stolen, police said. Those amounts range from $2,941.32 to $15,901.89.
Additionally, the suspended troopers will have their seniority reduced and will not be eligible for programmed overtime for two years. They will also waive their rights to appeal in court or through the Civil Service Commission.
Twenty-four more former Troop E members implicated in the overtime scandal were either previously fired or retired during the investigation. The department noted that it cannot prevent a trooper from retiring.
