Accused Lynnway arsonist passed CORI check despite lengthy record

LYNN – A former St. Mary’s High School employee accused of stealing and setting fire to his ex-wife’s car last month passed a Criminal Offender records Information (CORI) check by the Archdiocese of Boston before his hire at the school, despite a lengthy criminal record.Frank Luti, 33, of 150 Essex St. #1, Malden, was arrested July 13 after witnesses claim they saw him running away from a burning Dodge Durango in the parking lot of Sullivan Tire on the Lynnway. He faces charges of motor vehicle larceny and arson of a motor vehicle.Luti was employed as a custodian at St. Mary’s High School from June until mid-July of this year, when he resigned his position.St. Mary’s Headmaster Raymond A. Bastarache confirmed that Luti worked at the school, albeit for a short time, and was subject to a CORI check through the Archdiocese of Boston prior to starting the job.”He was employed here for a very short time, maybe four, five weeks. I don’t recall exactly when he began,” said Bastarache. “We do require background checks for all employees, but all CORI checks are handled by the Archdiocese in Boston. He (Luti) did fill out all of the CORI forms that we then sent to Boston before he was hired. He ended up leaving on his own about two or three weeks ago.”Bastarache hinted that there were concerns about Luti’s quality of work during his short time at the school, but declined to address his performance on the job, reiterating that he terminated his own employment without pressure from the school.Calls placed to the Archdiocese press information office were not returned Monday afternoon.Prior to his July 13 arrest, Luti had racked up a lengthy criminal record dating back to March 1992, when he was just 17 years old.According to court documents, past charges include several motor vehicle violations, compulsory insurance violations, marijuana possession, larceny and restraining order violations.On the night of his most recent arrest, Luti allegedly set fire to a Dodge Durango that belonged to his ex-wife Theresa Fiorino of Lynn. Witnesses say they watched Luti flee from the scene as the truck burned. A tow-truck driver then followed Luti as he fled on foot down Commercial Street, alerting police to the suspect’s whereabouts.That evening Luti was arrested only for a warrant from Chelsea District Court, and claimed at the time that he had nothing to do with the fire and had just gotten off an MBTA bus. Eventually, Luti turned himself in on Aug. 7 for the motor vehicle larceny and motor vehicle arson charges.For her part, Fiorino said she never filed a claim for her stolen vehicle after reporting it missing to Revere Police, and told police that she did not suspect Luti of stealing the truck.Employees at St. Mary’s told authorities that they had seen Ludi drive the Durango to work on several occasions before the fire.Luti has since been arraigned in Lynn District Court and is awaiting a pre-trial hearing on Aug. 26.