A State Police trooper has been suspended without pay since April amid the agency’s internal probe of possible payments for unworked shifts, authorities confirmed Tuesday.
Trooper Eric Chin was placed on administrative leave April 13, State Police spokesman David Procopio said in an e-mail.
On Monday, State Police announced that the agency had “launched an investigation into payroll discrepancies uncovered during an ongoing internal audit” and said the probe will be run “in consultation with” Attorney General Maura Healey’s office.
State Police said an audit of Accident Injury Reduction Effort, or AIRE, patrol shifts assigned to officers in Troop E “found evidence that shifts assigned were not always worked and that troopers were still paid despite not having shown up for their shift. The findings of the internal audit were sufficient to merit further investigation.”
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On Tuesday, Procopio said officials began investigating Chin more than a year ago, and the probe later widened. He did not say how many troopers might have been paid for unworked shifts, citing the ongoing review.
“As of a result of information MSP learned of during that investigation, the department began an audit of other AIRE shifts worked in parts of 2015 and 2016 by troopers assigned to Troop E,” Procopio said Tuesday. “Information the department collected during that internal audit warranted further investigation, which is being conducted by the Attorney General.”
Attorney General Maura Healey’s office declined to answer specific questions about the investigation but said State Police will compile data as part of the review before prosecutors get involved.
No one has been charged criminally.
Chin’s union couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. He earned $58,970 last year prior to the suspension, state payroll records show.
Travis Andersen can be reached at tandersen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.