Office of the Attorney General: Marshfield Father and Son Plead Guilty, Sentenced on Charges They Stole Money From the State on Big Dig Project
- Men were Subcontractors on Big Dig

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

June 13, 2008

Contact:
Harry Pierre
(617) 727-2543


BOSTON – Today, a Marshfield man and his son pled guilty in Suffolk Superior Court on charges they ran two schemes to steal money from the state while hauling construction materials as subcontractors on the Central Artery/Tunnel project. James Roderick, Sr., age 62 owner of now-defunct Y2Krush Corp., and his son, James Roderick, Jr., age 38, of Marshfield, owner of Durod Ltd., both pled guilty to charges of Larceny over $250 by Continuous Scheme (2 counts), Fraud in Procurement, Presentation of False Claims, and Conspiracy (3 counts).

Following the change of plea from not guilty to guilty, Suffolk Superior Court Judge Carol Ball sentenced Roderick, Sr. to two and a half years in the House of Correction, with Roderick Sr. serving six months of that sentence under house arrest. While under house arrest, Roderick Sr. can only leave his home during the hours of 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. to go to work, and for other limited purposes. The balance of this sentence will then be suspended for a period of five years. Judge Ball also ordered Roderick Sr. to serve five years of probation on one of the counts of Larceny over $250. Judge Ball also sentenced Roderick, Jr. to a sentence of five years of probation for his role in the scheme. The amount of money stolen will be determined at a restitution to be held at a later date.

The charges follow an in-depth investigation conducted by State Police assigned to the Attorney General’s Office and investigators from the Inspector General’s Office (IG) that began in February 2006 when the IG’s Office became aware of the allegations. The investigation alleged that the Rodericks, through their companies, engaged in two schemes to defraud the state between October 2004 and February 2007 when they were hired by a contractor doing work on the Central Artery/Tunnel project to haul construction materials away from the project.

James Roderick, Jr. owned and operated Durod Ltd. and James Roderick, Sr. owned and operated the now defunct Y2Krush, both in the business of trucking and hauling construction materials. Y2Krush was also in the business of recycling asphalt, concrete and steel from construction sites until it went out of business in December 2006.

Under its contract, the state paid by the ton for material hauled away from the contract site. In a scheme to overcharge the state, Roderick, Sr. and his company rigged the weights of their scale so that the scale reported more weight, and used inaccurate vehicle weights, and thus the companies billed the state for hauling more material than was actually removed. It is alleged that Roderick, Jr. and his company perpetrated the same scheme.

Investigators reviewed paperwork from more than 4,000 trips that were made by Durod and Y2Krush.

On February 15, 2007, the IG’s Office and State Police assigned to the Attorney General’s Office executed a search warrant at the Marshfield location of the Durod and Y2Krush offices where evidence of the alleged misconduct was seized.

A Suffolk Superior Grand Jury returned indictments against the Rodericks on September 27, 2007. On October 25, 2007, Roderick, Sr. and Roderick, Jr. were arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court at which time they entered individual pleas of not guilty and were released on their own personal recognizance. Today, both father and son pled guilty in Suffolk Superior Court and were sentenced by Suffolk Superior Court Judge Carol Ball. The amount of money stolen in the schemes will be determined at a restitution to be held at a later date.

Assistant Attorney General Julie B. Ross of Attorney General Martha Coakley’s Cybercrime Division prosecuted this case. This case was investigated by investigators from the Inspector General’s Office in conjunction with State Police assigned to the Attorney General’s Office. The Massachusetts State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Team assisted with execution of the search warrant.