BOSTON, Jan. 30, 2018—The former president and executive director of a group that shuttles large ships through Boston Harbor were arraigned today for allegedly using the organizations’ funds for their own personal purposes, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

The Suffolk County Grand Jury on Dec. 20 returned indictments charging GREGG FARMER (D.O.B. 2/25/62) of Wakefield, former president of the Boston Harbor Pilots Association, with larceny over $250 and larceny over $250 by continuing scheme. The Grand Jury also indicted ANDREW HAMMOND (D.O.B. 3/21/64) of Hanover, whom Farmer hired as BHPA executive director, for larceny over $250 by scheme, making false entries in corporate books, forgery, and uttering.  Clerk Lisa Medeiros did not impose monetary bail and released both on their own recognizance after they walked into court today.

The defendants held leadership positions within the BHPA, whose members have the detailed knowledge of local waterways necessary to guide tankers and other large vessels entering Boston Harbor. Assistant District Attorney Greer Spatz of the DA’s Special Prosecutions Unit said both Farmer and Hammond are accused of using the association’s funds to pay for personal expenses unrelated to their employment.

The charges included fuel and repair bills for personal vehicles, electronics, personal taxes, and other purchases that Hammond, as bookkeeper, ensured were paid without question. In one purchase, Farmer allegedly paid for two captain’s seats using BHPA funds and then installed them on his own vessel.

A meticulous forensic accounting investigation by the DA’s Special Prosecutions Unit suggests that the losses to BHPA run to more than $180,000, prosecutors said.

Both men will return to court on March 20 for a pretrial conference. Their trial is scheduled for Oct. 29.

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