Ethical Misconduct, Conflict of Interest & Abuse of Authority
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Of even greater concern is the fact that Scott Vecchi has previously been
investigated for attempting to intercede in a criminal investigation regarding one of his own
taxi cab drivers. As a Sergeant and Shift Commander with the Plymouth Police
Department, Vecchi was the target of a formal Complaint for official misconduct and was
the subject of an Internal Affairs investigation for which he was found responsible, and
subsequently disciplined. According to that Complaint:
"On Thursday November 7, 2013 a Disturbance was reported and investigated
under incident #201328906. This incident involved a male subject identified as
[name redacted] of [address redacted] in Plymouth and occurred as Mr. [name
redacted] was acting in the capacity of a cab driver for Mayflower Taxi, which is
owned and operated by Sergeant Scott Vecchi. As a result of the investigation
Mr. [name redacted] was charged with Assault and Battery by Means of a
Dangerous Weapon."
According to the actual Incident Report (Dispatch Incident Number:
2013000028911) the alleged victim, a middle aged woman, had just been discharged
from the Jordan Hospital and had the charge nurse call her a taxi for a ride home.
Following her transportation home by Mayflower Taxi she advised the driver that she had
to retrieve money from her apartment to pay the fare. The driver became irate, and upon
her return with payment an argument ensued over the tip, at which time it was alleged the
driver assaulted the female passenger. The driver was subsequently charged with the
felony crime of Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon pursuant to MGL. C. 265,
S. 15A.
Though the victim's description of the alleged assault seemed somewhat minor
considering the serious nature of the felony criminal charge, training and common sense
should have prompted Vecchi to completely disassociate himself from the case,
particularly considering his personal and business relationship with the defendant.
Common sense did not prevail, however, as Vecchi deemed it appropriate to personally
intercede in the case, attempting to "expedite a hearing" and to "get his [the taxi driver's]
license reinstated" all the while claiming he had no financial interest in the matter. As a
result of Vecchi's involvement in the case an Internal Affairs investigation was instituted,
resulting in the following official Complaint:
Town of Plymouth Police Department: Complaint Against Member of Department Form
4.01-1, Incident # assigned: 20141749 (Internal Affairs # assigned: 14-01) Date of
Report: January 22, 2014; Date of Incident: Between 1117 & 1211212013 [for] Rules
Violation (non-minor) State Ethics Commission: Conflict of Interest Law - Conduct of
Public Officials and Employees, to wit MGL C. 268A, S. 23(b)(2)(ii), which states, inter
alia, as follows:
"No current officer or employee of a state, county or municipal agency shall
knowingly, or with reason to know: use or attempt to use such official position to
secure for such officer, employee or others unwarranted privileges or exemptions
which are of substantial value and which are not properly available to other
similarly situated individuals."
In this case, Vecchi, a Sergeant with a municipal agency (Plymouth Police
Department) knowingly used or attempted to use his official position to secure for
[another] (one of his taxi cab drivers), unwarranted privileges or exemptions (an
expedited hearing and license reinstatement) which [were] of substantial value and which
[were] not properly available to similarly situated individuals.
As a public figure running for elective office, particularly that of the head law
enforcement office of Plymouth County, Vecchi's illegal conduct was subject to serious
criminal penalties had he been reported to, and had the charges been pursued by the
Office of State Ethics. Pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws chapter 268A, section 26:
[the] Penalty for violations of clause (b)(2) of section 23, Vecchi could have faced "a fine
of not more than $10,000, or by imprisonment in a state prison for not more than 5 years,
or in jail or in house of correction for not more than 2 1/2, years ... " Because the Internal
Affairs investigation by the Plymouth Police Department was kept in-house, however,
Vecchi escaped any real punishment for his official misconduct, though the Complaint
was "sustained" and remains active in his personnel file.
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