Boston, Oct. 13, 2012—The operator of a Revere-based tree cutting service was arraigned today on charges he defrauded the City of Revere by rigging the bidding process for such work, effectively setting his own price for contracts with the city and its housing authority, District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

DANIEL HIBBARD (D.O.B. 4/13/60) of Revere  was indicted by the Suffolk County Grand Jury on Sept. 27 on six counts each of procurement fraud and making false claims to a government agency. At his arraignment today in Suffolk Superior Court, Clerk Magistrate Connie Wong released Hibbard on personal recognizance and gave him until his next court date to surrender his passport.

According to Assistant District Attorney Benjamin Goldberger, head of Conley’s Special Prosecutions Unit, Hibbard has operated a company since the 1990’s offering tree cutting services under varying names but always using the same telephone number. He is accused of submitting bids with the Revere Housing Authority for his own company as well as for companies that once existed but that were no longer in operation at the bids were made. Contracts were always granted to the company with the lowest of the three bids, which was always the company using Hibbard’s telephone number, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors also allege that Hibbard falsified a document showing that his company carried liability insurance, which is required of all companies contracted by the City of Revere. Hibbard allegedly altered a certificate of insurance stating he carried the required insurance from 2009 through 2010 to instead state that he had insurance from 2010 to 2011 and changed the certificate holder from the Revere Housing Authority to the city, prosecutors said.

Hibbard’s company was awarded five contracts from the Revere Housing Authority due to the illegal bid rigging scam and received $30,550 in payments, prosecutors allege. He also fraudulently obtained one contract from the city, resulting in $15,100 in payments, according to prosecutors.

Hibbard was represented by attorney Aviva Jeruchim. He will return to court on Dec. 3.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.