Springfield, MA... Three former Springfield School Department employees were arrested today on a federal Indictment charging them with federal program fraud and making false statements to federal agents in connection with their scheme to employ two of the defendants as “no-show” employees for the School Department, announced United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan and Kenneth W. Kaiser, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in New England.

“The alleged conduct of the defendants is a dismaying abuse of public trust, particularly given the fiscal situation within the City of Springfield,” commented U.S. Attorney Sullivan. “It is reprehensible that as teachers, school nurses and other employees were being laid off by the Springfield School Department, these defendants were in effect stealing money from the Department.”

The Indictment charges ALFONSO R. CARRANO, age 34, of 750 Dickinson Street, Springfield, with two counts of federal program fraud for orchestrating the theft of gross wages for his brother FRANCESCO CARRANO and ROBYN AVIGLIANO from the Springfield School Department. In addition, ALFONSO CARRANO has been charged with one count of making a false statement to a federal agent.

The Indictment also charges both FRANCESCO CARRANO, age 34, of 26 Somerset Street, Springfield, and ROBYN AVIGLIANO, age 44, of 36 Michael Drive, South Hadley, each with one count of federal program fraud for allegedly fraudulently receiving $5,000 or more in gross wages for hours not worked at the Springfield School Department. Both have also been charged with one count of making a false statement to a federal agent.

According to the Indictment, in 2002 and 2003, ALFONSO CARRANO was a Program Coordinator for the Food Services Department for the Springfield School Department. As the Program Coordinator, ALFONSO CARRANO was responsible for the staffing and supervision of the Food Service’s Department’s cafeteria, commissary, warehouse and delivery personnel. The Food Service Department operated a warehouse where meals and other food items for later distribution to various Springfield school cafeterias were stored.

It is alleged that from February, 2002 through October, 2003, FRANCESCO CARRANO was placed on the payroll of the Springfield School Department by ALFONSO CARRANO as a bus monitor on a bus route. It is alleged that during this time frame timesheets were submitted to the School Department for payment for hours supposedly worked by FRANCESCO CARRANO as a bus monitor and as an employee in the Food Service Department’s warehouse, when in fact it is alleged he did not work any of the hours reported on the timesheets. ALFONSO CARRANO allegedly signed most of his brother’s time sheets.

The Indictment alleges that ALFONSO CARRANO engaged in a similar fraud scheme with ROBYN AVIGLIANO from October, 2002 through April, 2003. According to the Indictment both FRANCESCO CARRANO and ROBYN AVIGLIANO each fraudulently received at least $5,000 or more in payment from the School Department for jobs at which they did not actually work.

The Indictment also alleges that when the matter was under investigation, each of the defendants made false statements to FBI agents.

All three defendants were arrested on the charges this morning and appeared in court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. All three were released on bond pending trial.

If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of $250,000 for the federal program fraud and obstruction of justice charges, and an additional 5 years in prison and fine of $250,000 for the false statement charge.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Springfield. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Welch II in Sullivan’s Springfield Office.

The details contained in the Indictment are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Press Contact: Samantha Martin, (617) 748-3139