Former and Current MBTA Employees Charged for Conspiracies to Falsify Red Line Track Inspection Reports

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Press Release
Former and Current MBTA Employees Charged for Conspiracies to Falsify Red Line Track Inspection Reports and Collect Fraudulent Overtime Payments

Friday, July 10, 2026

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts

BOSTON – Six former Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) employees and one current MBTA employee were charged today in a Superseding Indictment for multiple conspiracies, including allegedly conspiring to falsify Red Line track inspection reports as well as to commit overtime fraud.

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Pfaffinger, Gamble, Vatel and Mendes were previously indicted on May 22, 2025 and arrested on May 29, 2025. Trinh, Barbosa and Leonard were arrested this morning and appeared in federal court in Boston today.

According to the charging documents, the defendants were all former Red Line Maintenance of Way employees. Pfaffinger served as the team’s supervisor and Gamble, Trinh, Vatel and Mendes were former track inspectors. As track inspectors, Gamble, Trinh, Vatel and Mendes’ job duties included completing track inspections for the Red Line. 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:

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Additionally, during the times when some of the inspections were reported as having been conducted, it is alleged that Gamble, Trinh, Vatel and Mendes were actually present inside Cabot Yard – a MBTA location that contained a coffee and breakroom for Red Line inspection employees. Cabot Yard also contained a large garage where Gamble, Vatel, Barbosa and Leonard allegedly worked on private vehicles during work hours:



It is alleged that Pfaffinger not only knew that his subordinates worked on private vehicles during work hours, but had his subordinates perform work on his own personal vehicle as well. In one instance, in July 2024, Pfaffinger notified his subordinates that multiple tracks – supposedly being inspected by track inspectors subordinate to him – had serious defects. Only 10 days later, however, Pfaffinger allegedly requested his subordinates use their workday to perform work on his private vehicle:



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