Politics & Government
Somerville Takes Buonomo Retirement Case to Supreme Judicial Court
A former Somerville alderman, when he served as Middlesex County register of probate, stole an estimated $30,000 in public funds, plus even more in campaign contributions. Somerville doesn't want to pay his pension.
The Somerville Retirement Board was scheduled to make arguments before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Thursday regarding a former Somerville alderman who pleaded guilty to stealing public funds and campaign contributions, according to the Lowell Sun.
According to the newspaper, the Somerville Retirement Board is arguing it shouldn't have to pay the $38,700-a-year pension to John Buonomo, who served as a school committee member, alderman and director of human resources in Somerville.
Read the whole story in the Lowell Sun.
Buonomo pleaded guilty to stealing cash from office copy machines when he served as the Middlesex County register of probate, the newspaper says. In all, he stole an estimated $30,000 in public funds, the Lowell newspaper said, and he also pleaded guilty to stealing around $102,000 in campaign contributions.
After his conviction, the Somerville Retirement Board voted to revoke his Somerville-based pension. However, a lower court ruled that Somerville still had to pay Buonomo's pension because the former alderman didn't steal directly from the municipality of Somerville.
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