Officer Pleads Guilty to Multiple Charges
BOSTON, February 4, 2022— A Boston Police officer yesterday pleaded guilty to sending a phony traffic ticket to a driver following a road rage incident, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin R. Hayden announced.
During an appearance yesterday afternoon in Suffolk Superior Court, BPD Officer Christopher Curtis, 37, pleaded guilty to six indictments charging forgery, uttering, false report by a public employee, obtaining criminal offender record information (CORI) under false pretenses, witness intimidation and misleading an investigation. He was sentenced to one year of probation by Judge Michael Doolin. During that time, Curtis is to have no contact with the victim and pay restitution of $525, which the victim was forced to pay during his efforts to fight the ticket in court. In addition, Curtis’ convictions have been reported to the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC) for potential action regarding his retirement benefits.
“The public puts their trust in members of law enforcement with the expectation that they will use the power and authority of their position for the protection and betterment of the communities they are sworn to serve. When an officer abuses their authority, as Officer Curtis did in this case, we must ensure that they are held accountable for their offenses and for their breach of the community’s trust,” DA Hayden said. “This individual now stands convicted of felony offenses that bar him from acting as a member of law enforcement in the future. I’m grateful to ADA Kevin Bergin and other members of my office and law enforcement who helped ensure that this individual was held accountable for his actions.”
Yesterday’s change of plea came as Suffolk prosecutors prepared to begin a jury-waived trial in the case on Monday, February 7. Had the case proceeded to trial, ADA Kevin Bergin of the DA’s Special Prosecutions Unit would have presented evidence and testimony to prove that, on March 1, 2019, Curtis was involved in a road rage incident on Interstate 93 South in the area of Stoneham. After the incident, evidence showed that Curtis used his position as a Boston police officer to run the victim’s license plate and sent the victim a traffic citation in the mail a week later. Included with the $790 ticket was a threatening, handwritten note challenging the victim to dispute the ticket.
When the victim appealed the citation in Woburn District Court, officials found several mistakes and irregularities with the citation. They notified Massachusetts State Police, who in turn referred the matter to the Boston Police Department Anti-Corruption Unit. Through the course of an investigation, Curtis was identified as the individual who forged and mailed the ticket.
Though he initially denied involvement, Curtis later admitted in an interview with detectives that he wrote the ticket when presented with evidence of his guilt. Suffolk prosecutors presented the case to a grand jury and secured indictments against Curtis.
As a result of the criminal case, Curtis is included in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office Law Enforcement Automatic Discovery (LEAD) database. This database identifies law enforcement officers whose credibility as a potential witness has been called into question. Prosecutors are legally and ethically required to produce information regarding officer credibility as part of their discovery obligations during the course of criminal prosecutions.
Charlene Luma, Chief of the DA’s Victim Witness Assistance Program, was the assigned victim witness advocate. Civilian Investigator Dennis O’Connor also assisted in the case. Curtis was represented by attorney Robert Griffin.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.