BOSTON – A former Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) employee pleaded guilty on Sept. 24, 2026 in federal court in Boston to multiple conspiracies, including conspiring to falsify Red Line track inspection reports as well as committing overtime fraud.
Jensen Vatel, 43, of Brockton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to falsify records; conspiracy to commit wire fraud; wire fraud, aiding and abetting; falsification of records, aiding and abetting; and false statements, aiding and abetting. Vatel was indicted in May 2025 along with four others. In July 2026 , a superseding indictment added two additional defendants and 30 additional charges.
Vatel was a former Red Line Maintenance of Way employee, where he was a track inspector. As track inspector, Vatel’s job duties included completing track inspections for the Red Line. In order to complete the inspections, track inspectors used MBTA-issued cellular phones with an application called MaxTrax to record information regarding their track inspections, including whether the inspection was completed. The application then generated a report with details concerning the inspection:
Rather than complete inspections, from Jan. 1, 2024, to Oct. 16, 2024, Vatel and the alleged co-conspirators either falsified track inspection reports or aided and abetted the submission of falsified inspection reports. Vatel and the alleged co-conspirators did this by not completing their inspections and creating falsified inspection reports with information found online and extending the duration of such “inspections” on the MaxTrax applications to make the inspection period appear longer than they were, so senior MBTA executives did not complain about the length of inspections.
Additionally, during the times when some of Vatel’s inspections were reported as having been conducted, Vatel was actually present inside Cabot Yard – an MBTA location that contained a coffee and breakroom for Red Line inspection employees. Cabot Yard also contained a large garage, which Vatel and alleged co-conspirators treated and operated as an automobile repair shop to work on non-MBTA vehicles during work hours. While some co-conspirators allegedly worked on the vehicles, others had their non-MBTA vehicles worked on, including Vatel.
From Jan. 1, 2024 to Oct. 16, 2024, Vatel and the alleged co-conspirators also submitted false overtime sheets, for hours that they did not work, in order to receive overtime payment from the MBTA. Rather than work their overtime shifts, Vatel and the alleged co-conspirators did not show up at all for the shift; showed up hours late for their shifts; or showed up at the beginning of the shift, used the hand scan and then disappeared for hours (sometimes to sleep in their vehicles) before returning to work.
The charge of conspiracy to falsify records provides a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charges of falsification of records, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of false statements provides a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of aiding and abetting provides that an individual who aids and abets is punishable as a principal. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Brian C. Gallagher, Special Agent in Charge, Northeastern Region, U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General; and Anthony D’Esposito, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucy Sun of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Massachusetts — U.S. Department of Justice press release.