Revere pair pleads guilty to MBTA scheme

SALEM – A Revere couple pleaded guilty today in Superior Court to bilking the MBTA out of an estimated $4 million in a massive scheme involving unauthorized rail passes they sold at a discounted price.Judge Howard Whitehead sentenced Andres Townes, 28, to at least three years in state prison on charges of falsifying books, larceny over $250 and conspiracy, and sentenced his accomplice Gloria Escobar, 28, to two years in the House of Correction on conspiracy and larceny charges.Assistant Attorney General Gina Masotta told the judge Townes worked for Cubic, a Beverly firm that, according to the statement, produced MBTA tickets. According to the statement, Townes “manipulated” the machine so that he could activate tickets without information being transmitted back to the MBTA notifying officials the tickets had been authorized for use. Escobar helped in the sale of the tickets, she saidWhitehead told the court the sentences reflected the seriousness of the crime while also taking into account the pair’s lack of a criminal record.?These were not calculating people out looking to make money. There was just an irresistible temptation in front of them,” he said.Read the full story in Friday’s Daily Item.Taylor Provost can be reached at [email protected]