Two Sharon, Massachusetts, police officers had to pay thousands of dollars in civil penalties, after one officer who was working a security detail at a Patriots game at Gillette Stadium helped the other officer and a friend get into high-end seats without tickets, according to the state ethics commission.
Officer John Avelar paid $8,000 and Officer Robert Awad paid $4,000 for violating the conflict of interest law, according to a news release on Thursday from the Massachusetts Ethics Commission. The commission said they both admitted to allegations in separate disposition agreements, and both waived their right to a hearing.
The incident in question took place on Dec. 1, 2022, when Awad was scheduled to work a security detail for the Patriots game against Buffalo. The state said that several weeks prior to the game, Avelar asked Awad to get him and a friend into the Putnam Club during a game.
The Putnam Club is described in the release as a "a high-end indoor suite at Gillette Stadium where fans can watch the game from indoors, enjoy upscale food and drinks, and access exclusive outdoor seats" — an area typically available to the public as part of season ticket packages, which range in cost from $6,000 to $10,000.
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On game night, Awad reportedly met Avelar and Avelar's friend outside of Gillette, and brought them up to the Putnam Club lobby without tickets. Awad was in uniform, and told security that the two were "with him," the state said.
A security supervisor reportedly saw what happened, and told Awad to help security find and remove the other officer and his friend, to which Awad responded by saying, “What’s wrong, don’t you like cops?” and, “Why don’t you trust me," the ethics commission said.
Avelar and the friend left the suite, and Awad was removed from his detail shift.
“This case is a reminder that public employees are prohibited from using their official positions to get themselves and their friends into sports and other entertainment venues and events without paying the admission price others have to pay,” Commission Executive Director David Wilson wrote in the release. “A public employee must not use or try to use their official uniform, badge, work ID card, or public employee status to get into and enjoy places and events for free that others must buy tickets for.”
Awad had been a police officer in Sharon for less than a year at the time of the incident, meaning he was still in his probationary period.
