Hide Transcript Show Transcript

WEBVTT INCLUDING RECORD WARMTH.EMILY: SOUNDS GOOD.HE WAS ONCE NAMED DETECTIVE OFTHE YEAR.HE IS NOT THE CENTER OF ANINVESTIGATION INTO COUNTERFEITMONEY.BEN: THAT'S JUST THE LATESTCONTROVERSY SURROUNDING THISOFFICER, WHO HAS FAMILY IN HIGHPLACES.MIKE BEAUDET WITH THE STORYYOU'LL ONLY SEE HERE.REPORTER: THIS IS SOMERVILLEPOLICE OFFICER -- LEAVING THEHYATT REGENCY.THE GRAINY PHOTOS INCLUDED INTHE POLICE BULLETIN ISSUED BYHIS OWN DEPARTMENT.HE USED COUNTERFEIT MONEY TO PAYIS TO AFTER THE STAFF REFUSE TOACCEPT CREDIT CARD ORDERS.>> FIVE INVESTIGATES HASCONFIRMED THE OFFICER WASHERETHAT NIGHT AND IS THE MAN INTHESE SURVEILLANCE PICTURES.IAN SAYS HE KNOWS NOTHING ABOUTTHE FAKE BILLS.REPORTER:HE'S NO STRANGER TOTROUBLE.>> YOU HAVE BEEN ON PAID LEAVEFOR MORE THAN A YEAR.>> I WHAT RATHER NOT TALKABOUT IT.REPORTER: AFTER WHAT HIS LAWYERSAYS, ALLEGATIONS OF YOU LEGALDRUG USE, THAT HE DENIES.HIS ATTORNEY SHOWS US NEGATIVEDRUG TESTS HE PASSED OVER THELAST TWO YEARS.THE CITY OF SOMERVILLE IS TRYINGTO FORCE HIM TO RETIRE SAYING HEIS UNFIT FOR DUTY.>> TO WANT TO GET BACK TO WORK.I'M NOT READY FOR RETIREMENT.REPORTER: HIS STATUS IS RAISINGQUESTIONS IN THE CITY BECAUSEHIS FIRST COUSIN IS THESOMERVILLE MAYOR.CRITICS WONDER WHY HE SITS ATHOME COLLECTING HIS PAY WHILEOTHER OFFICERS ON THE FORCE ARENOT SO LUCKY.RECORDS SHOW THE CITY HAS FIREDFIVE OFFICERS SINCE 2011.CHRISTOPHER ALBERTO IS HISATTORNEY.>> HE IS GOING TO RETIRE ANDCOLLECT HALF OF HIS SALARY.THAT IS NOT SPECIAL TREATMENT.>> I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THESPECIAL FACTS ARE.I CAN TELL YOU THERE IS NOSPECIAL TREATMENT HERE AT ALL.>> WE WANT TO TALK TO ABOUT YOURCOUSIN.IS HE GETTING SPECIAL TREATMENT?>> THE MAYOR RECUSES HIMSELF ASHE ALWAYS HAS WHEN IT COMES TODO WITH ME.FOR YOU TO TURN THE STORY LIKETHAT IS DISGUSTING IF YOU AREDOING THAT.PLUS I'M TRYING TO GET TO THETRUTH.YOU WERE FIRED BY THE FORMERMAYOR.>> HE WAS FIRED IN 2003BY THE FORMER MAYOR.HE BECAME ADDICTED TO OXYCONTIN.HE WAS WORKING AT THE SCHOOLRESOURCE OFFICER WHEN HE WASRECORDED HAVING A CONVERSATIONWITH A KNOWN DRUG DEALER SAYINGHE NEEDED SOMEONE TO SUPPLYOXYCONTIN PILLS TO SELL.THE CIVILSERVICE COMMISSIONCALLED HIS FIRING A FEW WEEKSBEFORE SHE WAS REPLACED AS MAYORMOTIVATED BY POLITICALCONSIDERATIONS AND RETRIBUTION.HE GOT HIS JOB BACK IN 2005 ANDSINCE THEN WONOFFICER ANDDETECTIVE OF THE YEAR.A DECADE LATER HE'S BACK AT THECENTER OF CONTROVERSY.>> WHY AREN'T YOU WORKING?>> UNPAID LEAVE.THAT IS A GOOD QUESTION.>>'S LAWYER SAYS HE WILL APPEALIF THE STATE APPROVES IT BECAUSEHIS CLIENT WANTS HIS JOB BACK.POLICE TELL US THE INVESTIGATION

Advertisement Somerville police officer allegedly passed counterfeit bills Officer has checkered past and family in high places Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A Somerville police officer with a checkered past and family in high places once again has found himself at the center of controversy, this time for allegedly using counterfeit bills to pay for a meal at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Cambridge. Grainy surveillance photographs in a police bulletin issued by his own department show Somerville police Officer Alex Capobianco leaving the Hyatt earlier this month, described but not named as a person investigators are trying to identify. 5 Investigates confirmed through Capobianco's lawyer that Capobianco was at the Hyatt that night and that he is the man in the surveillance pictures. The lawyer said his client insists he knows nothing about the fake bills. Capobianco allegedly used counterfeit money – two $20 bills and one $50 bill -- to pay his tab after staff at the restaurant refused to accept credit card numbers Capobianco was reading from his tablet. Capobianco is no stranger to trouble. His $86,500-a-year paid leave from the Somerville Police Department started in September 2015, after what his lawyer said were allegations of illegal drug use, which he said Capobianco adamantly denies. The officer’s lawyer, Christopher Alberto, gave 5 Investigates copies of negative drug tests he said Capobianco passed over the last two years. Meanwhile, the city of Somerville is trying to force Capobianco to retire, saying he is "unfit for duty," and is pursuing an involuntary disability retirement that could allow Capobianco to collect almost half of his salary. Capobianco's paid leave and pending retirement are raising questions in the city, especially because his first cousin is Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone. Critics wonder why Capobianco sits at home, collecting his pay, while other officers on the force are not so lucky. Records obtained by 5 Investigates show the city has fired five other police officers since 2011. “I have no idea what the facts are of those five individuals,” Alberto said. “I can tell you there's no special treatment here at all.” We caught up with Curtatone outside City Hall and asked him if we could discuss Capobianco. “No, I’m tied up right now,” the mayor said as he got into his car. Asked if his cousin is getting special treatment because he is a relative, Curtatone said, “No, and I'm recused from that, that whole personnel matter.” We also spoke with Capobianco. “The mayor recuses himself as he's always done with me,” he said. “It has nothing to do with that. And I think for you guys to twist and turn the story like that is disgusting, if you're doing that.” Records reveal Capobianco was fired from the department in 2003 by former Somerville mayor Dorothy Kelly Gay after he "became addicted to OxyContin." Capobianco was working as the school resource officer at Somerville High School at the time he was recorded having a conversation with a known drug dealer, allegedly saying he needed someone to supply him with OxyContin pills to sell. "I have like 600 of 'em sold but can't get nobody," Capobianco told the dealer. But the Civil Service Commission called Capobianco's firing by Kelly Gay -- just a few weeks before she was replaced as mayor by Capobianco's cousin -- motivated by "political considerations and retribution." “That incident has put a cloud over my head in my career,” Capobianco said. Capobianco got his job back in 2005 and since then received awards as officer of the year and detective of the year. More than a decade later, Capobianco is back at the center of controversy. Asked why he is not working now, Capobianco said, “Because I'm on paid administrative leave.” Asked why he was placed on leave, the officer said, “That's a good question.” Capobianco's involuntary retirement still has not been finalized. His lawyer said he will appeal if the state approves it, because his client still wants his job back. Cambridge police said their investigation into the counterfeit money incident at the Hyatt remains open and no one is under arrest.