City worker guarding cemetery pump filled own tank
A Boston cemetery worker who was supposed to prevent co-workers from stealing gas from a city pump brazenly kept his own Dodge van running for months on taxpayer-funded fuel before he got caught red-handed, the Herald has learned.
As many drivers struggled with $4 a gallon gas, Paul J. Hamm helped himself once a week at a Mount Hope Cemetery pump reserved for city vehicles, according to the Boston Finance Commission, the city watchdog that allegedly caught him.
Hamm, who was assigned in April to keep his co-workers honest, resigned from his $57,000-a-year job Oct. 28 after being confronted with evidence of his alleged misdeeds. Hamm could not be reached for comment.
"He was stealing from the public," said Finance Commission Executive Director Jeff Conley, who said he videotaped Hamm in the act.
Hamm, a 22-year city employee who made nearly $80,000 last year with overtime, was able to allegedly siphon off fuel meant for cemetery equipment and vehicles because the city's oversight was insufficient, Conley said.
Conley pointed out the cemetery pump isn't equipped to take the gas cards required of most city workers, nor was anyone reviewing the gas log Hamm allegedly manipulated.
Hamm's log ultimately was used to show he'd been ripping off Boston for months, Conley said. The stolen gas was charged to a diesel truck and the cemetery pump only dispenses regular gasoline.
"He outfoxed himself in that regard," Conley said.
The Herald reported last week that a state police probe has targeted abuse of taxpayer-funded gas cards, with 10 troopers under scrutiny. Conley said he believes this is the only case of stealing city gas at the cemetery department.
"It was absolutely a betrayal of trust," said Antonia Pollak, Parks & Recreation commissioner.
Pollak defended the parks department's effort to prevent theft. It had limited access to the pump to one day a week, but Hamm, as the person in charge, got around that by manipulating the log.
"You do want to trust your employees to some degree," Pollak said. "Nine out of 10 times it works. One time it didn't."
After the case was discovered, the city changed the locks on the gas tank and now has more than one person review the cemetery's gas log.
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A Boston cemetery worker who was supposed to prevent co-workers from stealing gas from a city pump brazenly kept his own Dodge van running for months on taxpayer-funded fuel before he got caught red-handed, the Herald has learned.
As many drivers struggled with $4 a gallon gas, Paul J. Hamm helped himself once a week at a Mount Hope Cemetery pump reserved for city vehicles, according to the Boston Finance Commission, the city watchdog that allegedly caught him.
Hamm, who was assigned in April to keep his co-workers honest, resigned from his $57,000-a-year job Oct. 28 after being confronted with evidence of his alleged misdeeds. Hamm could not be reached for comment.
"He was stealing from the public," said Finance Commission Executive Director Jeff Conley, who said he videotaped Hamm in the act.
Hamm, a 22-year city employee who made nearly $80,000 last year with overtime, was able to allegedly siphon off fuel meant for cemetery equipment and vehicles because the city's oversight was insufficient, Conley said.
Conley pointed out the cemetery pump isn't equipped to take the gas cards required of most city workers, nor was anyone reviewing the gas log Hamm allegedly manipulated.
Hamm's log ultimately was used to show he'd been ripping off Boston for months, Conley said. The stolen gas was charged to a diesel truck and the cemetery pump only dispenses regular gasoline.
"He outfoxed himself in that regard," Conley said.
The Herald reported last week that a state police probe has targeted abuse of taxpayer-funded gas cards, with 10 troopers under scrutiny. Conley said he believes this is the only case of stealing city gas at the cemetery department.
"It was absolutely a betrayal of trust," said Antonia Pollak, Parks & Recreation commissioner.
Pollak defended the parks department's effort to prevent theft. It had limited access to the pump to one day a week, but Hamm, as the person in charge, got around that by manipulating the log.
"You do want to trust your employees to some degree," Pollak said. "Nine out of 10 times it works. One time it didn't."
After the case was discovered, the city changed the locks on the gas tank and now has more than one person review the cemetery's gas log.
(2) Comments | Post / Read Comments
http://bostonherald.com/news/region...orker_guarding_cemetery_pump_filled_own_tank/