3 indicted in alleged UMass-Amherst procurement fraud

Two former University of Massachusetts Amherst employees were indicted on allegations that they accepted illegal payments from contractors for work at the school, and a third man involved in the company was charged for allegedly making the payments, Attorney General Maura Healey announced Wednesday.

John Strycharz, 57, of Ludlow, and Victor Rodrigues, 58, of Belchertown, were indicted Wednesday by a Hampshire County grand jury, Healey's office said in a press release. Michael McGoldrick, 50, of Leyden, had previously been indicted.

Healey's office alleged that, while he was a full-time UMass Amherst employee overseeing asbestos removal and other related work at the campus, Strycharz for years hid the fact that he held an ownership stake or financial interest in Compass Restoration, the company that was awarded millions of dollars in contracts.

In addition to keeping secret his personal financial benefit from the contracts, Strycharz also allegedly received "various undisclosed and illegal gifts" from the company, including motorboats, vacations in Mexico "and labor at a family property."

McGoldrick, who also oversaw contract work at UMass Amherst, allegedly accepted several checks totaling more than $17,000 "in support of his son's auto racing activities" from companies that were awarded contracts, Healey said.

One $3,000 check came from Compass just months after he took over management of its projects from Strycharz.

Rodrigues, who owns Compass, faces charges related to procurement fraud and giving illegal gratuities to a state employee.

All three will be arraigned in Hampshire Superior Court at a later date.

Healey's press release said the university referred the case to her office and has cooperated with the investigation.