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LAWRENCE - Authorities are investigating suspected billing irregularities inside City Hall after Mayor William Lantigua's administration detected what it believes to be questionable activities on the city's computer system.
Several city computers were turned over to a team of detectives headed by state police computer forensics expert Sgt. Thomas Neff on Monday with the consent of the Lantigua administration.
Authorities are investigating whether companies improperly billed the city for services.
Lantigua on Monday met behind closed doors with a prosecutor assigned to District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett's office, interim Economic Development Director Patrick Blanchette and city attorneys Anne Randazzo and Richard D'Agostino to discuss the questionable activities.
Lawrence Detectives Jeff Sapienza and Maurice Aguilar are assisting Neff.
No charges have been filed. The probe has thrown the city's Information Technologies Department into chaos, with all or most of the staff either fired, resigned or placed on leave.
The city's IT director Bryan J. Cahoon, who was on a contract that earned him more than $160,000-a-year, left abruptly three weeks ago. A week later, Tim Guyer, who made about $190,000 a year on contracts resigned. Keith Clark, who was earning about $84,000 a year on contract work, has also left.
Attempts to reach Cahoon for comment last night were unsuccessful.
City officials said that three other employees were placed on unpaid administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation. They are IT workers Bobby Maldonado and Tim Belcher and assistant purchasing agent Rita Brousseau.
Interim Personnel Director Frank Bonet alluded to the mass departure of IT staff and the resulting disarray in a memo yesterday to all city departments.
"You will find the City of Lawrence IT staff, that you are custom (sic) to working with, are no longer available to assist you," he wrote.
Bonet said IT work orders may take longer to process and asked for the staffs' "patience and cooperation throughout the next few weeks."
He asked that staff members not try to e-mail or call IT technicians "as they will not be responding." Bonet supplied a phone number and e-mail address for help desk requests. Officials said the School Department's IT staff would take over the operations at City Hall until the vacant positions have been filled.
The latest probe comes as Blodgett's office and a grand jury continue to pursue a criminal investigation into allegations of financial improprieties by ousted School Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy and others.
Laboy, 58, of Methuen was suspended indefinitely in late June. He was initially placed on paid administrative leave, but has been using accrued vacation pay since August.
Staff writer Mark E. Vogler contributed to this report.
