The Boston Water and Sewer Fee has spent tens of hundreds of {dollars} investigating its human sources director, however continued to present her raises, promote her and now pay her $202,873 wage whereas she stays residence on paid go away.
Public information launched by the Fee following a Herald request and attraction to the Secretary of State’s workplace present two outdoors legislation corporations had been employed to conduct investigations into chief human useful resource officer Marie Theodat, who’s embroiled in a number of civil lawsuits that embrace fraud allegations, at completely different instances final 12 months.
Though the Fee was paying for investigations into “allegations of misconduct against” Theodat, it continued to present her a collection of raises. Her pay has been hiked by 61% since 2019, and the Fee promoted Theodat from human sources director to chief human useful resource officer final September.
Practically $30,000 was billed to the Fee in August and December 2024 for 2 investigations of an undisclosed nature. One inside investigation into Theodat was additionally carried out by the Fee, at a price that was not disclosed by the quasi-public company, information present.
The Fee is “withholding three internal investigation reports related to Marie Theodat’s employment” with the company, BWSC spokesperson Dolores Randolph wrote within the information response. The Fee was ordered to offer the associated reviews by the Secretary of State’s workplace after a Herald attraction.
“The Commission investigated allegations of misconduct against Ms. Theodat and issued these investigation reports to determine whether any disciplinary action, up to and including termination, was required,” Randolph wrote. “The investigation reviews embrace particular particulars concerning Ms. Theodat’s private {and professional} life, and include factual findings figuring out the truthfulness of the allegations towards her.
“The investigation reports are highly likely to create personal embarrassment for Ms. Theodat because disclosure would make public, at the very least, the allegations of misconduct raised against her,” Randolph added. “These reports are focused solely on specific allegations of misconduct, and there are no segregable portions that could be produced in unredacted form.”
Theodat didn’t reply to a request for remark.
Randolph stated the three bill copies pertained to 2 corporations “that were retained to conduct fact investigations on behalf of the Commission related to Ms. Theodat’s employment with the Commission.”
The Fee selected to “redact hourly time entries that reveal sensitive information concerning the nature of the investigations concerning Ms. Theodat,” citing an exemption from public information legislation below the “work product doctrine.”
A 3rd investigation was carried out by members of the Fee’s salaried workers, so no further charges or bills had been incurred in reference to that evaluate, Randolph wrote.
The primary commissioned investigation was carried out between July 16 and July 30 final 12 months, in keeping with an Aug. 5 bill from ADR Analysis. The bill was despatched to Michael Flaherty, a former Boston metropolis councilor who was basic counsel of the Water and Sewer Fee on the time.
Flaherty was later fired by the Fee, this previous Jan. 10, as a consequence of what the quasi-public company stated was a “breakdown in the working relationship” between Flaherty and the Fee’s Government Director Henry Vitale.
The 2 different invoices for commissioned investigation work — because it pertains to Theodat — had been despatched final December to Nixon Peabody, an outdoor legislation agency that seems to now be dealing with the majority of the Fee’s authorized obligations.
Per Fee information, Nixon Peabody was employed on a contractual foundation in late October of final 12 months for $350,000, and was retained once more this previous January for a $500,000 contract that extends all through the top of this 12 months.
The primary commissioned investigation befell within the month that preceded the submitting of a civil lawsuit in Suffolk Superior Courtroom that alleged Theodat labored with relations to swindle her aged and dementia-ridden uncle out of his residence.
On the time, two different lawsuits had been pending towards Theodat in Suffolk Superior Courtroom, together with one which concerned among the identical events and the identical Dorchester residence because the August 2024 lawsuit and one which alleges Theodat stiffed a lady on a $75,000 mortgage mortgage.
The August 2024 civil lawsuit that alleges Theodat “fraudulently induced” her uncle to signal over the deed to his $1.1 million residence for “less than $100” first got here to mild in an October 2024 Herald report.
Weeks later, per Fee information, Serino Regulation was retained by the company to conduct an investigation into Theodat, that per the invoices, prolonged from Oct. 29 to Dec. 20. The legislation agency was paid practically $25,000.
On the time, the Fee was being pressured by a trio of unions representing Water and Sewer Fee workers to research and droop Theodat whereas the “severe” allegations leveled towards her in civil lawsuits performed out in courtroom.
The unions, SEIU Native 888, IAM Native 100 and OPEIU Native 6, despatched a letter to Vitale, the manager director, elevating issues about Theodat’s “personal access to sensitive information such as banking numbers, routing information” and social safety numbers.
In February, following an earlier Herald information request and attraction, the Fee launched information exhibiting that Theodat was on paid administrative go away. No cause was listed for her employment change, with the Fee citing privateness and personnel exemptions.
A Herald inquiry final week into when Theodat was positioned on go away and the way lengthy taxpayers could be paying her $202,873 wage was not answered by the company.
Metropolis and Fee payroll information present Theodat was the very best paid human sources director within the Metropolis of Boston final 12 months, and was tied with 5 different division chiefs because the sixth-highest paid worker on the Fee.
Chris Christo/Boston Herald
Michael Flaherty (Chris Christo/Boston Herald)
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