25 Investigates: More than 2 dozen Medford officers blacklisted by DA for overtime scandal

MEDFORD, Mass. — More than two dozen Medford Police officers have been blacklisted by the Middlesex County District Attorney stemming from an overtime scandal in September, 25 Investigates has learned.

As 25 Investigates first reported in September, 27 Medford Police officers were disciplined after it was discovered that they were cheating their times and skipping out on detail shifts.

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25 Investigates has learned the Middlesex DA is putting the 27 Medford officers, which is about a quarter of the department, on what’s known as a “Brady List." The list contains the names of police officers with known credibility issues who are considered untrustworthy as witnesses. Those officers will be viewed as damaged goods in the eyes of the court, which can jeopardize any criminal cases they are associated with.

The 27 officers have been disciplined and ordered to pay back $17,000 collectively, as the city police department joins a growing list of law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts embroiled in payroll scandals.

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In Medford, city officials learned of the payroll fraud allegations in the spring of 2019, months after Medford Police Chief Leo Sacco, retired through deposition in an “unrelated civil legal matter,” mayoral spokeswoman Deanna Deveney told 25 Investigates. City officials ordered an independent probe and hired retired State Police Captain Paul L’Italien to investigate.

25 Investigates reached out to the police chief and Medford City Hall for comment. We have not yet heard back.

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