BOSTON — A former official for Keolis Commuter Services, operator of Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter trains, has pleaded guilty to defrauding Keolis of $8 million.
John P. Pigsley, 59, the former assistant chief engineer of facilities at Keolis, also pleaded guilty of defrauding the Internal Revenue Service. He will be sentenced in April.
Pigsley pleaded guilty today (Jan. 23, 2025) to five counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of filing a false tax return, and four counts of structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements. The wire fraud charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000; the tax evasion charges up to three years and a fine of $250,000; and the structuring charge, up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The charges also include requirements of one to three years of supervised release.
Pigsley was indicted in 2023 after he and accomplice John Rafferty alledgedly used fake invoices to steal more than $4 million, while Pigsley was also accused of stealing copper wire and selling it for scrap for more than $4.5 million [see “Former official charged …,” Trains News Wire, April 6, 2023]. Rafferty pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in June 2023, and will also be sentenced in April.
A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts says the Rafferty purchased vehicles, construction equipment and supplies, and other items for Pigsley and Pigsley’s own construction company. Rafferty then submitted false invoices to Keolis for these items, which included at least nine trucks, seven Bobcat machines, at least $1 million in home building supplies, and a $54,000 camper. Pigsley also directed Keolis to purchase copper wire, then traded it for cash several times a month and sometimes more than once a day.
