Revere man charged in MBTA ticket scam pleads innocent to extra charges

SALEM – A Revere man already facing charges of producing millions of dollars worth of counterfeit MBTA monthly passes was arraigned Wednesday morning on additional charges in Salem Superior Court.Andres M. Townes, 27, of 68 Emmanuel St., Revere, pleaded innocent to three counts of conspiracy to commit receiving stolen property over $250 involving incidents between Nov. 1, 2007 and March 2011.Judge Timothy Q. Feeley agreed to set $5,000 cash bail on the case and continued the matter to Jan. 9.In the meantime, Townes remains held at the Middleton Jail.Townes also is being held on $15,000 cash bail after pleading innocent in August to falsifying books, larceny over $250 and conspiracy.The allegations arise out of a scheme in which Townes and Gloria C. Escobar, 27, also of Revere, allegedly produced altered MBTA monthly passes and sold them at discounted rates online.Townes worked as a supervisor at Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc., in Beverly. The company was subcontracted by the MBTA to handle the sale and fulfillment of MBTA ticket orders.Townes is accused of manipulating the system by altering dates and entries so he could activate the Charlie Passes and sold them on websites, including Craigslist, at a discounted rate for cash only, according to prosecutors.Escobar, authorities say, worked with Townes and met the buyer, but after several months of selling tickets to one buyer, the couple allegedly offered to send the tickets by mail and directed the buyer to make payment in the form of a money order and send it to a post office box.