Massachusetts OIG

OIG Finds MassDOT Service Plaza Procurement Not a Model

The Massachusetts Office of Inspector General issued findings that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation's (MassDOT) service plaza operator procurement was "not a model procurement" due to multiple procedural flaws including inadequate conflict disclosures, violations of contact rules during procurement, use of live in-person scoring without sufficient documentation, and insufficient time or information provided to Board subcommittee members. The OIG reviewed procurement procedures, solicitation documents, internal communications, evaluation documents, and conducted staff interviews. The OIG cannot confirm whether the flaws were ultimately fatal to the signed agreement with the apparent successful bidder.

Former WRRS CEO Michael Sacco Abused Public Funds

The Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General released an investigation finding that former Worcester Regional Retirement System (WRRS) CEO Michael Sacco expanded his private law practice while being paid a full-time public salary. The OIG found that Sacco only worked 20 to 30 hours per week for WRRS while attending 350 outside board meetings, court hearings, and other engagements on behalf of private clients during WRRS business hours, without using leave time. The OIG made 28 recommendations, including that the WRRS Board pursue recovery of funds for allegedly unused vacation time and that the Legislature prevent passage of House Bill 2931 which would exempt Sacco from post-retiree earnings caps.

David Breen, 54, Pleads Guilty to $1.2M COVID Relief Fraud

David Breen, 54, of Mount Pleasant, S.C., pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government property in federal court in Worcester, Massachusetts, for misappropriating $1.2 million in Economic Injury and Disaster Loan (EIDL) funds. The SBA provided these loans to small businesses harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but Breen used the money to build a home and purchase motor vehicles. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for June 25, 2026.