The State Ethics Commission has filed an Order to Show Cause accusing former Barre Department of Public Works superintendent Jason Pimental of collecting town pay while reportedly putting in hundreds of paid hours for other state agencies. According to the filing, Pimental submitted timesheets that concealed those outside shifts and signed off on roughly $15,000 in reimbursements to himself. If commissioners ultimately uphold the allegations, the case could trigger civil fines and a public hearing to hash out penalties and remedies.
In a press release, the State Ethics Commission said its Enforcement Division found “reasonable cause” to believe Pimental worked several hundred hours for the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services from December 2020 through June 2024 during hours for which he was being paid by Barre. The Order to Show Cause alleges he submitted false claims for pay, used his public position to secure unwarranted privileges, and approved about $15,000 in DPW reimbursements to himself. The commission’s release notes that a public hearing will be scheduled within 90 days and that it can impose civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation.
The Ethics Commission’s move builds on an NBC10 Boston investigation that used undercover video to capture Pimental operating heavy equipment for the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority and pulled payroll records showing he earned about $153,000 last year as an MWRA heavy equipment operator. NBC10 Boston reported that MWRA officials are reviewing the Ethics Commission’s findings and that Pimental remained on the MWRA payroll while the probe unfolded. The station’s reporting also detailed how Barre’s DPW is overseen by a nine-member commission, a setup investigators say helped enable gaps in oversight.
Watchdog Flagged Recordkeeping And Oversight Failures
In July, the state’s Office of the Inspector General released a separate report that took Barre to task over its timekeeping practices and concluded that Pimental had worked for other state agencies during periods he was supposed to be on duty for the town. The OIG urged Barre to require daily start and end times on payroll records, ban employees from supervising and approving work time for family members, and consider placing the DPW under the Select Board and town administrator. The inspector general said those moves were aimed at preventing future misuse of town time and taxpayer funds…