Former Auto Tech Stole $260k In Car Parts And Supplies From The Boston Police Department

There’s criminals and then there’s dumb criminals, and 36 year old Bahram Gharony is definitely the latter.

Despite working as an auto repair technician for the Boston Police Department, Gharony decided to steal over $260,000 (£193,569 / €229,530) worth of parts, tools, and supplies from the department.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, Gharony concocted a “scheme to embezzle hundreds of thousands of dollars from the BPD.” As an employee of the department’s fleet management division, Gharony was able to order parts and supplies to help maintain the department’s vehicles.

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While this isn’t too surprising, Gharony allegedly ordered parts and supplies with the express purpose of selling them to other people. He then “submitted fraudulent and altered invoices to BPD for the parts, tools and supplies, he falsely claimed were ordered for the fleet.” To further advert suspicion, he allegedly told buyers that he “lawfully purchased the items through a discount available to BPD.”

The government says Gharony’s scheme lasted three years, but was eventually detected by the Boston Police Department’s Anti-Corruption Unit. Gharony pled guilty to two counts of wire fraud in August and was recently sentenced to two months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Mass Live also reports he’ll have to pay $256,432 (£190,871 / €226,440) in restitution.

That seems pretty lenient considering the government originally noted the “charges of wire fraud each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and [a] fine of $250,000 (£186,062 / €220,780), or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater.”

BPD in the Community: BPD Officers Participate in First Responder Safety Day at the Richard J. Murphy School in Dorchester https://t.co/HhwcQvSWoQ pic.twitter.com/lbb7KnEj56

— Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) July 28, 2021