Norfolk sheriff’s employee ‘coerced’ underlings to perform work on his home for free, officials say

BOSTON — A high-ranking Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) employee is under investigation for allegedly violating the Commonwealth’s conflict of interest laws several times over a two year period.

Thomas Brady is the Assistant Deputy Superintendent of Jail Operations at the NCSO. The State Ethics Commission’s Enforcement Division alleges that on four occasions between 2021 and 2022, Brady approached sheriff’s office plumbers, his subordinates, to perform expensive projects on his house without pay.

These projects included replacing a shower head, replacing his water heater, and repairing a boiler, mostly during their state work hours, according to authorities.

Officials say Brady didn’t pay the plumbers for the work nor did he reimburse the sheriff’s office for the value of the plumbers’ state work time.

On the fourth occasion, Brady allegedly had a NCSO plumber and electrician replace his boiler’s circulator pump outside of work hours. They were each given a bottle of wine for their service instead of payment, according to an Order to Show cause.

“Each time Brady approached subordinate Sheriff’s Office employees regarding private work at his home, his request was inherently coercive due to his rank and position,” the order read.

The State Ethics Commission is authorized to impose a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for each violation of the conflict of interest law.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office said, “We are aware of the order from the ethics commission. We do not comment on personnel matters.”

According to the statewide payroll, Brady made more than $300,000 in his position in 2023.

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