An audit has identified more public funds that will be reimbursed to taxpayers in Boxborough for money improperly paid to police officers tied to educational incentives they had not earned.
The audit was conducted after the Massachusetts Inspector General called on town leaders to perform a more thorough review over a longer timeframe to make sure every erroneous dollar was discovered.
In his summary of the completed audit, Boxborough Town Administrator Michael Johns said the review revealed that Sergeant Brett Pelley received more than $18,000 in overpayments over a three-year period.
Pelley had previously reimbursed nearly $7,000 and will now begin a repayment plan for the remaining balance, according to Johns. The veteran police officer did not respond to an NBC10 request for comment.
Meantime, another officer has challenged the situation through the police union and is currently in arbitration with the town about whether his degree should have qualified for the higher pay.
Two other officers had already refunded the full erroneous amounts they received, according to the audit.
As NBC10 Investigators first reported in 2022, the problem landed the police chief on a lengthy paid administrative leave and prompted elected leaders to ask the FBI to investigate.
The payroll problem surfaced publicly during a lengthy presentation at a Select Board meeting in October 2021, when former Police Chief Warren Ryder explained how the mistake happened and how it would be corrected.
However, not satisfied with the explanation, the Select Board took the surprising vote of asking the FBI’s Public Corruption Unit to come to town and investigate.
In January 2022, town leaders sent the police chief home on paid administrative leave, starting the clock on a lengthy wait for Ryder and residents.
The controversy divided the town, with residents displaying opposing lawn signs to share their views.
Ryder eventually agreed to a six-figure settlement with the town in exchange for stepping down from his post.
During an interview last April when he spoke publicly for the first time, Ryder denied that he would ever intentionally allow some of his police officers to get educational incentives they had not earned.
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In an October letter, Massachusetts Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro expressed concern that Boxborough leaders had only sought repayment from a six-month period in 2020. He recommended a full audit of the payroll over a three-year period.
“It honestly doesn’t matter if it’s a dollar or it’s $1 million. There needs to be reconciliation,” Shapiro told NBC10 at the time. “When the public feels something is done underhanded, secretly or irresponsibly, then work like what we’re suggesting needs to be done.”
