Andover Man Among Teamsters Accused of Extorting 'Top Chef' Crew

By FRANK O’LAUGHLIN (Patch Staff)

Five members of the Charlestown-based Teamsters Local 25 union were arrested Wednesday for allegedly attempting to extort a television production company that was filming a reality show in the Boston area last year.

Union members violently protested the ”Top Chef” show’s use of non-union workers, prosecutors said in court Wednesday.

The members were charged in connection to an extortion scheme after allegedly verbally harassing, intimidating and threatening the crew of “Top Chef” while it was in town shooting, according to an indictment unsealed in US District Court in Boston.

Richard Jeffrey, of Woburn, Mark Harrington, of Andover, John Fidler, of Holbrook, Daniel Redmond, of Medford, and Robert Cafarelli, of Middleton, were indicted on charges of conspiracy to extort and attempted extortion of a television production company in order to obtain no-work jobs for fellow Teamsters members.

“The indictment alleges that a group of rogue Teamsters employed old-school thug tactics to get no-work jobs from an out of town production company,” said United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz. “In the course of this alleged conspiracy, they managed to chase a legitimate business out of the city of Boston and then harassed the cast and crew when they set up shop in Milton. This kind of conduct reflects poorly on our city and must be addressed for what it is — not union organizing, but criminal extortion.”

Beginning in Spring 2014, a non-union production company began filming the reality TV show in and around Boston, according to the indictment. The company hired its own employees, including drivers, for the filming of the show and did not need work performed by union members. Beginning on June 5, 2014, the defendants conspired to force the production company to pay Local 25 members for unnecessary work by threatening physical and economic harm to the company, the indictment alleges.

“The strong-arm tactics the FBI has seen in this case are egregious and our investigation is far from over. Today’s arrests should send a message to those who think they can get away with manipulating the system that they better think twice,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, acting special agent in charge of Boston’s Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The indictment also alleges that on June 10, 2014, the defendants showed up at a restaurant in Milton where the production company was filming. The defendants reportedly entered the production area and began walking in lockstep toward the doors of the restaurant where they accosted film crew members and attempted to forcibly enter the restaurant.

Throughout the morning, the defendants allegedly yelled racial and homophobic slurs at the film crew members and others, threatened crew and cast members, and shouted profanities. The defendants also blocked vehicles from the entryway to the set, and used physical violence and threats of physical violence to try and prevent people from entering the set, prosecutors said.

The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.