Massachusetts legislation enforcement businesses and state places of work used taxpayer-funded bank cards to collectively spend tens of hundreds of {dollars} final fiscal yr at casinos throughout the nation, based on public knowledge supplied to the Herald.
A number of sheriff’s departments led the best way in spending at casinos in Missouri, Nevada, and Connecticut, which officers stated mirrored resort lodging for a number of nationwide conferences. The fees have been included in a $7.3 million knowledge set for fiscal yr 2025.
The Barnstable Sheriff’s Division, led by Sheriff Donna Buckley since January 2023, spent greater than $9,400 at Mohegan Solar in Connecticut and the Horseshoe Las Vegas, a resort situated on the coronary heart of Sin Metropolis and run by Bally’s Resort and On line casino, state knowledge reveals.
A spokesperson for the division stated 5 staff stayed at Mohegan Solar for the Daigle Legislation Group’s Use of Drive Summit in December 2024 to “ensure that we are properly training and supervising our staff in avoiding/de-escalating use of force situations.”
“Mohegan Sun was the location of the all-day trainings and provided a group rate and some meals, so any other lodging was more expensive and would have incurred travel time and related expenses for all employees,” the spokesperson stated in a press release to the Herald.
The company spent $2,540 on the Mohegan Solar Resort in September and November 2024, together with by means of a single $1,811 buy, based on the info.
The spokesperson stated 4 staff traveled to the Horseshoe Resort in Las Vegas for the Nationwide Convention on Correctional Healthcare in October 2024 for coaching and certification.
“We discovered the conference late in the registration/reservation process, and the hotel that was hosting the training conference, the Paris Las Vegas Hotel, was already sold out. The Horseshoe Hotel was selected after asking for recommended hotels that did have availability and were within a reasonable walking distance,” the spokesperson stated.
The division spent no less than $6,914 on the Horseshoe Las Vegas, based on seven transactions made in October 2024.
State pointers advise public businesses in Massachusetts to make use of publicly funded procurement playing cards solely as a “payment of last resort,” although guidelines do enable officers to pay for in a single day lodging at lodges, based on the state’s budget-writing workplace.
Different sheriff’s departments additionally dropped hundreds at casinos.
The Middlesex Sheriff’s Division, led by Sheriff Peter Koutoujian, spent greater than $3,000 at Caesar’s Paris Las Vegas Resort and On line casino by means of six transactions dated Sept. 25, 2024, and Oct. 10, 2024, based on state knowledge.
A spokesperson for the Middlesex Sheriff’s Division stated the procurement card chargers have been for resort rooms to accommodate three employees members additionally attending the Nationwide Convention on Correctional Health Care in 2024.
“Staff attendance at this conference – including registration, flights, and hotels – was covered by funding through the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program,” the spokesperson stated. “This is a federal grant we were previously awarded, and it was used to reimburse these charges to the MSO.”
The Hampden Sheriff’s Division, led by Sheriff Nick Cocchi, spent greater than $2,600 in public funds on the Caesar’s Paris Las Vegas Resort and On line casino.
The division made 10 transactions in September and October 2024 on the institution, starting from $56 to $543, based on procurement card knowledge.
A spokesperson for the Hampden Sheriff’s Division stated three staff stayed on the resort to current on the Nationwide Convention on Correctional Healthcare in 2024 about “successfully operating one of the largest medication-assisted treatment programs in New England.”
“The conference itself was at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, which is why our staff stayed there,” HCSO Communications Director Robert Rizzuot stated in a press release.
The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Division, led by Sheriff Steve Tompkins, spent greater than $2,550 at Mohegan Solar and Caesar’s Paris Las Vegas Resort and On line casino, based on state knowledge.
Tompkins was charged earlier this month with extorting an government at a Boston-based hashish firm. Federal authorities arrested him in Florida.
The company made three transactions at Mohegan Solar, together with one for $724 in October 2024 and two for $143 in July 2024, based on state knowledge.
The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Division made three transactions at Caesar’s Paris Las Vegas Resort and On line casino, together with two for $757 and one for $30, the info confirmed.
A spokesperson for the division didn’t reply to a Herald inquiry.
The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Division, led by Sheriff Joseph McDonald, Jr., additionally loaded greater than $2,000 onto taxpayer-funded bank cards by means of transactions in August and September 2024 with the Caesar’s Paris Las Vegas Resort and On line casino.
Two transactions got here in at $793 every, and one other pair got here in at $208 every, based on state knowledge.
A spokesperson for the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Division stated two staff introduced on the Nationwide Convention of Correctional Health Care in 2024, which was held on the Paris Las Vegas Resort and supplied discounted room charges.
“These individuals were central to our agency’s federal approval to be an opioid treatment provider inside the correctional facility. They secured accreditation with NCCHC. NCCHC chose them to present on the accreditation process and security protocols involved in running an MOUD clinic in a correctional setting,” the spokesperson stated.
Different public businesses additionally spent public money at casinos throughout the nation.
The Municipal Police Coaching Committee, which is liable for growing coaching requirements for native cops, spent $674 with Mohegan Solar in November 2024, based on state knowledge. The group despatched its assistant authorized counsel to the Use of Drive Summit on the on line casino in December 2024.
The Berkshire District Lawyer’s Workplace dropped $498 on the Connecticut on line casino in January and February to attend the Highlight on Fraud XI Convention in Might, based on a spokesperson and state knowledge.
The Bristol County Sheriff’s Division spent $235 on the MGM Grand Resort on the Las Vegas strip in June, based on procurement card knowledge.
A spokesperson stated the division’s assistant director of expertise is touring to Las Vegas for the Fal.Con Cybersecurity Convention in September and will probably be staying on the MGM Grand Resort “because that is where the conference is being hosted.”
The Massachusetts Division of Hearth Providers loaded $215 onto a publicly funded procurement card by means of a Might buy with the Beau Rivage Resort & On line casino in Biloxi, Missouri, knowledge reveals.
A spokesperson for the division stated the cost is a deposit for State Hearth Marshal Jon Davine’s resort lodging for 4 nights to attend the Nationwide Affiliation of State Hearth Marshals’ thirty fifth Annual Hearth Prevention & Security Symposium earlier this month.
John Locher/ Related Press file
Public businesses in Massachusetts spent hundreds on taxpayer-backed P-cards throughout journey junkets to conventions at Las Vegas casinos, together with the Horseshoe, above. (AP Photograph/John Locher, File)
Davine was invited to talk on a panel dialogue about wildfire methods following final fall’s fires, the spokesperson stated. The affiliation paid for Davine’s journey and lodging, however the resort required a deposit to order the room, which is anticipated to be reimbursed.
The Massachusetts Gaming Fee, which oversees the state’s casinos and slots parlor, additionally spent $176 in October 2024 at The Venetian Las Vegas, based on state knowledge. Commissioner Nakisha Skinner attended a convention on the on line casino, a spokesperson stated.
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