Former Register of Probate Pleads Guilty to Theft Charges
– Allison Goldsberry
The former Middlesex County Register of Probate has pleaded guilty to two separate schemes in which he stole thousands in taxpayer money and more than $100,000 in campaign funds, according to Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley and Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone.
John R. Buonomo, 57, of Newton, pleaded guilty today in Woburn Superior Court to charges brought in separate cases by the Attorney General’s Office and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. Sentencing in the case has been scheduled for November 9 at 2 p.m.
Buonomo pleaded guilty to two counts of larceny over $250, two counts of personal use of campaign funds, and willfully misleading investigators in connection with the theft of campaign funds. He also pleaded guilty to eighteen counts of breaking and entering into a depository with intent to commit a larceny, eight counts of theft of public property by a public officer, and eight counts of larceny under $250.
“It is troubling that this elected official would violate the trust bestowed in him by committing these brazen thefts – crimes that he has now admitted to with today’s plea. I want to thank the Secretary of State’s Office, the Registry of Deeds, the Trial Court, and the Chief Justice for Administration and Management for their cooperation during this investigation. I also want to commend the members of our PACT Unit for their comprehensive investigation, including the installation of surveillance cameras to capture the crimes committed on tape, that built the irrefutable proof that led to this plea regarding the theft of public monies,” said District Attorney Leone in a written statement.
The Middlesex County DA’s PACT Unit launched an investigation in June 2008 when the Registry of Deeds noticed monthly shortages in receipts from their copy machines that are estimated to be up to as much as thousands of dollars.
Prosecutors say surveillance video caught Buonomo pocketing cash for himself on at least eight different occasions. According to the Registry of Deeds, Buonomo, a county-wide elected official, has no authority to access the cash machines or copy machines on the Registry of Deeds side of the building nor does he have the authority to remove money from the machines.
Buonomo was also found to have used his campaign funds for personal use, which is prohibited by law. The investigation found that Buonomo wrote checks to himself out of his campaign fund and altered and forged bank record and invoices to appear as though he was reimbursing himself for campaign services such as postage and printing.
Buonomo was first elected Register of Probate in 2000 to finish an unexpired term and was then re-elected in 2002 to a full 6-year term. Buonomo has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Northeastern and has been a public official for twenty-two years, including five years as County Administrator and more than a decade on Somerville’s School Committee and Board of Alderman.
Buonomo resigned just before the September 16, 2008 primary election for his seat. Medford resident Tara DeChristofaro, a Democrat, was elected to the position and is currently serving as Middlesex County Register of Probate.