Police Chief Accused Of Robbing Christmas Toy Fund For Needy Children & Second Police Charity For Nearly $200,000

Mass Live
May. 11, 2015

SPRINGFIELD - Federal prosecutors are making a pretrial bid to get into evidence more allegations of theft against the former Lee Police Chief from a Christmas toy fund dating back to 1999, according to filings in U.S. District Court.

Joseph Buffis is scheduled to go to trial on extortion, fraud and other charges starting May 18. Buffis was indicted in 2013 in a 12-count criminal indictment alleging he pocketed about $60,000 from the police-sponsored LaLiberte Toy Fund over five years. Prosecutors say that public donations designed to buy poor children Christmas gifts instead went to cover Buffis' own personal expenses.

The trial, scheduled to begin on May 18, is expected to last three weeks.

A recent motion by prosecutors states that Buffis looted the Lee Police Association account for more than $8,000 in addition to the toy fund. Although he cannot be charged with these allegations as they date back to 2005, investigations have requested that a judge let them present evidence to jurors nonetheless.

The investigation began when Buffis required two former Lee innkeepers to make a $4,000 "donation" to the toy fund that ultimately ended up in Buffis' pocket, according to prosecutors. State police became suspicious when Buffis appeared to try and conceal the payoff from his own officers, the media and other investigators, according to previous court filings.

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