BOSTON – A former Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) employee pleaded guilty on Oct. 20, 2026 in federal court in Boston to multiple conspiracies, including conspiring to falsify Red Line track inspection reports as well as committing overtime fraud.
Andy Vicente, 37, of Bridgewater, Mass. pleaded guilty to conspiracy to falsify records and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. In May 2025, Vicente was arrested and charged along with four other co-conspirators. The government filed a superseding information for Vicente on Sept. 8, 2026. Vicente was a former MBTA track inspector whose job duties included completing track inspections for the Red Line. In order to complete the inspections, track inspectors used MBTA-issued cellular phones with an application called MaxTrax to record information regarding their track inspections, including whether the inspection was completed. The application then generated a report with details concerning the inspection. Rather than complete inspections, from Jan. 1, 2024, to Oct. 16, 2024, Vicente and his alleged co-conspirators allegedly either falsified track inspection reports or aided and abetted the submission of falsified inspection reports. Vicente and his alleged co-conspirators did this by not completing their inspections and creating falsified inspection reports with information found online and extending the duration of such “inspections” on the MaxTrax applications to make the inspection period appear longer than they were, so senior MBTA executives did not complain about the length of inspections. According to court documents, Additionally, during the times when some of Vicente’s inspections were reported as having been conducted, Vicente was present inside Cabot Yard, an MBTA location that contained a coffee and breakroom for Red Line inspection employees. Cabot Yard also contained a large garage, which Vicente and his alleged co-conspirators treated and operated as an automobile repair shop to work on non-MBTA vehicles during work hours. Vicente purchased the non-MBTA vehicles from auto insurance auctions and sold them primarily to his alleged co-conspirator. While some, such as Vicente, allegedly worked on the vehicles, others had their non-MBTA vehicles worked on. On Sept. 19, 2024, during the time that Vicente supposedly performed a track inspection, video surveillance depicted Vicente (circled in red below) sitting inside of Cabot Garage holding his cellular phones.
From Jan. 1, 2024, to Oct. 16, 2024, Vicente and the alleged co-conspirators also submitted false overtime sheets, for hours that they did not work, in order to receive overtime payment from the MBTA. Rather than work their overtime shifts, Vicente and his alleged co-conspirators did not show up at all for the shift; showed up hours late for their shifts; or showed up at the beginning of the shift, used the hand scan and then disappeared for hours (sometimes to sleep in their vehicles) before returning to work. In particular, Vicente’s alleged co-conspirator paid Vicente for the non-MBTA vehicles and for working on the vehicles with MBTA funds through the overtime system. The charge of conspiracy to falsify records provides a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Brian C. Gallagher, Special Agent in Charge, Northeastern Region, U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General; and Anthony D’Esposito, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucy Sun of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.