By Rita Savard
The Sun
BOSTON — A former Boston firefighter from Billerica is one of two men facing fraud charges in federal court for allegedly attempting to collect on an accidental disability pension.
An FBI investigation in conjunction with the state Inspector General’s Office and the Boston Police Department alleges that James Famolare, 65, of 34 George Brown St., falsely claimed he suffered a career-ending injury while moving a box of files. The indictment alleges that in his accidental disability retirement application filed October 2006, Famolare fraudulently claimed to be totally and permanently disabled by his box-moving injury, seeking to obtain benefits at a higher grade salary, including tax-free injured leave pay and a higher accidental disability retirement pension.
Authorities allege that a second Boston firefighter, Albert Arroyo, 47, of Boston, also falsely claimed he suffered a permanent disability after a fall while walking in a fire station in Jamaica Plain. A former clerk for the Boston Fire Department, Erika Boylan, 31, has also been charged with perjury and obstruction of justice.
If convicted on these charges, Famolare and Arroyo each face up to 20 years imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $25,000 fine on each count of mail fraud. Famolare is charged with six counts of mail fraud.
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