Former Boston-area police officer pleads guilty to defrauding landlord

Even though he was sworn to uphold the law, Robert Kennedy, a former Boston-area police officer, was a nightmare tenant for at least three Massachusetts landlords over a period of 20 years.

But Kennedy’s actions recently caught up to him when he pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of wire fraud after admitting to defrauding one of those landlords by providing false information during the tenant screening process and intentionally withholding rent payments, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.

During the rental application process, Kennedy provided the landlord with the date of birth and social security number of a relative who shared his first and last name, concealing Kennedy’s sketchy credit history of collections, delinquent payments, defaults and evictions.

The landlord, based on the false information Kennedy provided, approved the application and allowed Kennedy to move in. 

In addition to his first month’s rent and security deposit checks bouncing, Kennedy immediately began withholding rent payments, even though he made between $141,000 and $187,000 a year as a detective sergeant with the Stoneham Police Department. Kennedy lived in that apartment for four months, rent-free, by taking advantage of the slow eviction process, the release says. 

He still owes that landlord about $14,000 in back rent. The guilty plea requires Kennedy to pay the back rent, though prosecutors agreed not to pursue identity theft charges for the use of a relative’s social security number for a tenant screening.

Each wire fraud charge carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. His sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 4. 

Kennedy, according to NBC10, had stiffed three landlords — including an elderly couple — out of at least $50,000 over two decades, even though evidence showed that he’d earned over half a million dollars over a three-year period.

While Kennedy is no longer on a police force, he was allowed to retire in June and begin collecting an annual $60,800 pension.

It’s unclear whether a legal challenge to the pension collecting would be successful. Massachusetts law only permits a public employee’s pension to be taken away if a conviction is related to the employee’s job.

Kennedy’s attorney, Brad Bailey, was already arguing that his client’s illegal conduct had nothing to do with his work as a police officer.

“It’s very important to point out that nothing to which he admitted today and accepted responsibility for is related to, pertained to, or is alleged to be in connection with the official performance of his duties and discharge of his duties as a public safety official,” Bailey told the outlet.