Former Boston Police Officer Sentenced for Overtime Fraud Scheme

BOSTON - A former Boston Police officer was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston in connection with an investigation of overtime fraud at the Boston Police Department's (BPD) evidence warehouse.

Michael Murphy, 64, of Hyde Park, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to two years of supervised release. Murphy was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and $16,014 in restitution. In June 2021, Murphy pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds and one count of embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds.

Between September 2016 and February 2019, Murphy submitted false and fraudulent overtime slips for overtime hours that he did not work for two overtime shifts at the evidence warehouse. The "purge" overtime was a 4 - 8 p.m. weekday shift intended to dispose of old, unneeded evidence. The "kiosk" overtime involved driving to each police district in Boston one Saturday a month to collect old prescription drugs to be burned.

For the "purge" shift, Murphy claimed to have worked from 4 - 8 p.m., but he routinely left at 6 p.m., or before. For the kiosk shift, Murphy submitted overtime slips claiming to have worked eight-and-one-half hours, but he only worked three-to-four hours of those shifts.

Between September 2016 and February 2019, Murphy personally collected approximately $16,014 for overtime hours he did not work.

To date, over a dozen Boston Police officers have been charged in connection with committing overtime fraud at the Boston Police Department's evidence warehouse. Murphy is the sixth officer to be sentenced.

From 2016 through 2019, BPD received annual benefits from the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of Justice in excess of $10,000, which were funded pursuant to numerous federal grants.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohan, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Ryan T. Geach, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, New York Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Grady of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.