Lawyers, judge discuss counterfeit T scheme involving Revere couple

SALEM – Lawyers for three people charged with running a $4 million counterfeit MBTA ticket scheme met with Judge Howard Whitehead behind closed doors at Salem Superior Court Wednesday to discuss possible courses of resolution for the case, but did not come to an agreement, instead opting to continue the conference on May 7.Andres Townes, 27, of Revere, was indicted on larceny charges last July and was indicted last November on three counts of conspiracy to commit receiving stolen property, according to the office of the Attorney General. His girlfriend, Gloria Escobar, 27, and another man, Alex Saunders, 28, of Beverly are also charged with receiving stolen property and conspiracy in connection with the crime.Assistant Attorney General Gina Masotta and attorneys William O?Hare, Alice Jayne and Michael Phelan, who represent Townes, Escobar and Saunders respectively, held a conference with Whitehead in the judge?s lobby as family members waited in a superior courtroom for news. After about an hour, O?Hare emerged from the lobby to announce that Whitehead needed time to “mull over” the case.According to court records, Townes and Escobar ran a five-year scheme that involved producing more than 22,000 unauthorized MBTA passes worth about $4 million using equipment Townes had access to while working at a Beverly company contracted by the MBTA to make real passes. They then sold them at a discount price on Craigslist with the help of several people, including Saunders. Investigators uncovered the scheme in March 2011.O?Hare told a Superior Court judge earlier this month that the three defendants wanted to resolve the case before it goes to trial.Taylor Provost can be reached at [email protected].