Overview
- Michael Muller, 59, and vendor John Colantuoni, 60, were arrested and charged after a federal indictment tied to Boston Public Schools’ transportation operations.
- Muller is accused of soliciting bribes as an agent of BPS and faces counts including bribery, honest-services mail fraud conspiracy, and extortion, while Colantuoni faces bribery, conspiracy, and obstruction charges.
- Allegations include inflated invoices for engine washes, a 5% kickback paid through fake invoices to Muller’s landscaping company, and demands that a vendor hire his adult child.
- Prosecutors say Colantuoni’s company bought about $85,000 in building materials for Muller’s Rhode Island vacation house as his firm’s revenues from the contractor rose.
- Muller was scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston and Colantuoni in Tampa, as DOJ, FBI, and IRS-CI officials emphasized the case’s focus on safeguarding taxpayer-funded school transportation; the defendants are presumed innocent.