Medford Man Pleads Guilty, Receives Prison Sentence for Making & Distributing Fake T Passes

| June 24, 2015 | Police News | No Comments

– Allison Goldsberry

A Medford man has pleaded guilty in connection with a scheme to manufacture and distribute counterfeit MBTA passes, according to information released by Attorney General Maura Healey.

Casey Kolenda, 28, pleaded guilty in Middlesex Superior Court on Tuesday to seven counts of counterfeiting charges. He was sentenced to three years in state prison as well as three years of probation to serve upon his release.

AG Healey said Kolenda distributed more than 3,000 fake T passes, making more than $60,000 in personal profit and depriving the MBTA of more than $225,000 in revenue.

“This scheme resulted in significant revenue loss for the MBTA and was patently unfair to riders who paid the full cost of their transit passes,” said AG Healey. “Schemes such as this one, in which an individual commits crimes for personal gain at the expense of the public, will not be tolerated.”

“Let this serve as a strong reminder that the MBTA and the Transit Police will not tolerate fraud,” said Acting Transit Police Chief Kenneth Green. “Hardworking, honest, fare paying MBTA customers deserve and expect our full attention to such criminal behavior. The successful prosecution of this case is the result of a collaborative partnership between Transit Police detectives and the Attorney General’s Office.”

The investigation began in August 2013 after the MBTA Transit Police discovered the existence of hundreds of unauthorized tickets in use by riders on the MBTA’s subway and bus systems. According to AG Healey, authorities identified multiple monthly LinkPasses that were purchased legitimately and subsequently used to create hundreds of counterfeit tickets used by riders. Kolenda used a skimmer to scan the electronic data from the magnetic strip and copy it onto hundreds of other cards. He used contact paper and the T’s logo to make the counterfeit passes look authentic.

Following the investigation Kolenda was arrested at his Medford home in March 2014.