8th Boston Officer Pleads Guilty In OT Fraud Scheme

An eighth person has pleaded guilty in connection to an overtime fraud scheme at the Boston Police Department's evidence warehouse, federal prosecutors said.

Craig Smalls, 55, of Boston, pleaded guilty on Thursday to conspiracy to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds and embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney's office in Boston. Smalls was paid more than $16,000 in overtime to which he was not entitled between March 2015 and September 2016, prosecutors said.

He did so by leaving shifts early and then submitting false paperwork, prosecutors said. Sometimes he worked three to four hours on a shift that was supposed to last more than eight hours, authorities said.

He faces sentencing Oct. 21.

To date, 14 current and former officers have been charged in connection to the scheme and eight have pleaded guilty.