Press Release  Former MBTA Employee Pleads Guilty In Connection With Illegal Gratuity And Procurement Fraud Schemes

BOSTON — A former buyer for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has today pleaded guilty in Suffolk Superior Court in connection with larceny, illegal gratuity and procurement fraud schemes, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell’s office announced today.  

Timothy Dockery, age 57, of Plymouth, pleaded guilty to 13 charges including Bribery (1 count), Procurement Fraud (2 counts), Accepting Illegal Gratuities (6 counts), Larceny (3 counts), and Conspiracy (1 count). Dockery was sentenced to one year in a House of Correction, with two years of probation after completion of his sentence. Dockery was also ordered to pay restitution of $37,860. As a state employee, Dockery engaged in illegal schemes with four different vendors, including the creation of fake invoices and accepting illegal gifts in exchange for his business. 

In 2014, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) began investigating Dockery, following a hotline tip, and the AG’s Office joined the investigation in 2016. Prior to law enforcement involvement, the MBTA was independently investigating this matter, and they have since provided assistance and full cooperation with the joint investigation. The AG’s Office indicted Dockery in 2017 and Dockery was immediately suspended by the MBTA. 

As a buyer for the non-inventory purchasing unit of the MBTA, Dockery is responsible for the procurement process and overseeing contracts related to non-inventory items, such as office supplies and smaller construction contracts. 

In one scheme, Dockery allegedly worked with a vendor to steal about $38,000 from the MBTA by submitting fake invoices. Dockery allegedly instructed the vendor to create fake invoices for funds leftover on purchase orders and facilitated the payment of the fake invoices. The vendor and Dockery then shared the money paid out by the MBTA. As part of the investigation, the AG’s Office entered into an agreement with the vendor to pay back his half of the stolen proceeds.  

In addition to the fake invoice scheme, Dockery also allegedly received cash payments from the vendor in exchange for Dockery’s help with MBTA procurements and projects. The vendor paid Dockery roughly 10 percent of the vendor’s profit from at least 70 payments from the MBTA.  The vendor collected more than $1.8 million from the MBTA since 2011, and authorities allege Dockery received at least $60,000 in kickbacks. 

Authorities also allege Dockery received illegal gratuities from two other vendors.  Public employees, such as Dockery, are prohibited from receiving $50 or more in a one-year period in connection with their official positions. One vendor allegedly provided Dockery with high-end tickets to sporting events and concerts, worth approximately $23,000. Another vendor allegedly provided Dockery with approximately $8,000 in lunches and goods for Dockery’s personal business. 

In a procurement fraud scheme, Dockery allegedly created a fake quote to ensure that an associate would be the lowest bidder for a construction supplies contract. Dockery then allegedly inflated the associate’s quote by $4,175 so that the associate’s winning bid was just under the fake quote. For other construction projects, the associate allegedly created and submitted fake quotes that purported to be from two competitor companies. The fake quotes were higher than the associate’s winning quotes and created the illusion of a competitive procurement process. 

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Kathleen Celio and Douglas Sheehan of AG Campbell’s White Collar and Public Integrity Division.  This case was investigated by Kevin Floster and William Bradford of the Office of the Inspector General, Sallyann Nelligan of AG Campbell’s Financial Investigations Division, and Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Attorney General's Office.  

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