Robert Kennedy, a former police officer in the Boston area, was known for being a difficult tenant for at least three Massachusetts landlords over a period of twenty years. This was despite the fact that Kennedy had taken an oath to enforce the law.
According to a press release issued by the Department of Justice, Kennedy’s actions have recently caught up with him as he recently pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of wire fraud after admitting to defrauding one of those landlords by providing false information during the tenant screening process and intentionally withholding rent payments. This information was disclosed in the context of Kennedy’s admission that he had defrauded the landlord.
During the application process for a rental unit, Kennedy lied to the landlord about his credit history by giving the landlord the date of birth and social security number of a relative who had his first and last name. By doing so, Kennedy was able to conceal his questionable credit history, which included collections, missed payments, defaults, and evictions.
The application was approved by the landlord and Kennedy was given permission to move in despite Kennedy providing the landlord with fraudulent information.
In addition to the checks that he had written for the first month’s rent and the security deposit being returned as unpaid, Kennedy started withholding rent payments almost immediately, despite the fact that he made between $141,000 and $187,000 per year working as a detective sergeant for the Stoneham Police Department. According to the announcement, Kennedy took advantage of the protracted eviction procedure to continue living in the flat rent-free for a period of four months.
He has not yet paid the approximately $14,000 in back rent that he owes to the landlord. In exchange for Kennedy’s guilty plea, the prosecution have decided not to pursue identity theft charges related to the use of a relative’s social security number for a tenant screening. However, Kennedy will be required to pay the back rent.
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Each count of wire fraud carries the potential for a sentence of up to twenty years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to two hundred fifty thousand dollars. On January 4th, he will be sentenced for his crime.
NBC10 reported that Kennedy had cheated three landlords, including an elderly couple, out of a total of at least $50,000 over the course of twenty years, despite the fact that evidence demonstrated that he had earned more than a half million dollars over the course of three years.
In spite of the fact that Kennedy is no longer employed by a police department, he was granted permission to retire in June and is now receiving an annual pension of 60,800 dollars.
It is not possible to say with certainty whether or not a legal challenge to the collection of pension payments will be successful. Under the law of Massachusetts, a public employee’s pension can only be taken away from them if the conviction they received was related to their job in some way.
Brad Bailey, who represented Kennedy in this case, was quick to assert that his client’s criminal behaviour had nothing to do with the fact that he worked as a law enforcement officer.
Bailey was quoted as saying to the outlet, “It’s very important to point out that nothing to which he admitted today and accepted responsibility for is related to, pertained to, or is alleged to be in connection with the official performance of his duties and discharge of his duties as a public safety official.”
