Richard Stewart, 42, of Saugus, and Joseph Falzone, 43, two former Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) employees have been ordered to pay over half a million dollars in restitution for the theft of more than 2,000 feet of cast-iron “coping” that that they took from the Longfellow Bridge and stored in a DCR facility in Stoneham, Middlesex District.
Police investigations led to the conclusion that Joseph and Stewart Falzone were the ones behind the missing cast iron coping from interviews with DCR employees, analysis of video surveillance, analysis by the Massachusetts State Police Crime Scene Services, and other investigative measures.
The leads pointed out to a DCR Bobcat vehicle immediately adjacent to the area from which the coping was removed which Falzone and Stewart have access to.
It was also found out that several weekend dates in July and August, were used by Joseph and Stewart Falzone to access the DCR Stoneham facility as well as the DCR truck and bobcat to remove the decorative coping which they brought and then sold to a scrap metal yard in Everett for $12,000 a small percentage compared to the cost of 1 million dollars it takes to replace the coping.
The two men of Nashua, NH, were arrested on September 8 and arraigned in Malden District Court.
On Oct. 21, they were indicted by a Middlesex Superior Court Grand Jury and on Nov. 19, they were arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court, where they were ordered held on $7,500 cash bail.
After the trial, Jospeh and Stewart Falzone pled guilty in Middlesex Superior Court on Aug. 12, 2009 to charges of receiving stolen goods (12 counts) and conspiracy (12 counts) and were ordered by Middlesex Superior Court Judge to forfeit their state pension money to pay $563,280 in restitution to the Commonwealth and pay the remaining balance of $458,216 over the next five years.
Stewand Falzone were also informed that they would be subject to restitution and community service as part of their probation, and in addition, sentenced to two years in the House of Corrections with 6 months to serve and five years of probation.
