LynnCAM employee indicted

LYNN – A Lynn man used bribery, fraud and identify theft to steal $34,000 while working for a local cable television studio, according to indictments handed up Thursday by a grand jury.John F. Chapman is expected to surrender to Lynn police today and be assigned a date to appear in Superior Court in Salem, where he will be formally arraigned on the charges.Chapman on Thursday night called the indictments “a witch hunt” but declined to comment in detail on the advice of his attorney.?He denies the allegations,” said Matthew Bingham of Andover.The six-count indictment includes false entry in corporate books with intent to defraud; larceny from Lynn Community Access and Media Inc.; bribery; identity theft or fraud; forgery and uttering – forging $13,347 worth of checks.Police Chief Kevin Coppinger said investigators worked for eight months following a financial trail that found “a pattern of impropriety” and led to indictments.?In a nutshell, it?s improper use of funds provided to the city through cable providers. Some of those funds were used illegally for personal gain by Mr. Chapman,” Coppinger said.Two of the indictments link Chapman to Lynn Community Access – LynnCAM – a Western Avenue television studio providing local residents with access to equipment and programs.The studio, according to federal financial filings, received $507,000 last year from cable TV providers Comcast and Verizon.According to the indictments, Chapman in 2012 and 2013 forged $13,347 in checks, committing identity theft to get the money. The indictments also detail Chapman?s theft of $21,000 in LynnCAM property and outline how he falsified LynnCAM accounts “by submitting invoices on behalf of third party vendors that falsely represented goods and services ? “A more detailed indictment states that while working for LynnCAM, Chapman accepted bribes from an electrician with the understanding that Chapman would award the individual electrical work.LynnCAM board member Lawrence McCully said he met Chapman at several studio meetings.?I was told he was an adviser. Someone else said he was a maintenance man,” McCully said.Chapman acknowledged working for LynnCAM and said he converted the former St. Jean?s Credit Union building into a television studio. Chapman is married to Karen Chapman, LynnCAM?s former president who resigned on Sept. 23. City attorneys on that date said they requested the state attorney general?s help in investigating “financial irregularities” brought to city lawyers? attention by former and current LynnCAM employees.Since then, city officials working with the state have taken steps to have Comcast and Verizon divert payments to the studio into city accounts rather than allowing cable provider payments directly to LynnCAM.City attorney James Lamanna said the money would be “disbursed once we?re assured adequate safeguards are in place.”