Around Town

District Attorney Investigating Reports of Elder Abuse, Neglect at Watertown Facility

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A Watertown long-term facility is being investigated after reports of elder abuse and neglect surfaced. Vero Health & Rehab, also called the Watertown Health Center, is the focus of an investigation by the Middlesex County District Attorney’s office after Watertown Police responded to reports of abuse of residents at the facility on Coolidge Hill Road, according to a report by WBZ Channel 4 investigation. WBZ found reports of residents who were bruised and suffered cuts, firefighters finding a man on the floor injured and asking for help, and a patient’s ventilator not working. Hundreds of 911 calls were made from the facility in the last couple years, including some from patients. State officials found the facility was deficient in COVID-19 infection control, according to the story, and Medicare surveys rated the overall quality of care he below average.

Arrest

Police Catch Man Breaking into Watertown Church

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An alert resident helped police catch a man who had broken into an East Watertown church. The Watertown Police received a call on Feb. 6 just before midnight about a person banging on a door at the Greek Orthodox Church/Hellenic Cultural Center on Bigelow Avenue, said Watertown Police Lt. James O’Connor. “When we arrived, officers observed a glass door on the Bigelow Avenue side of the building completely shattered,” O’Connor said. “As officers approached the shattered door they heard noises from inside the building.

Police/Fire

Police Log: String of Car Break-ins, Employee Theft at Target

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests

None

Incidents

Jan. 25, 1:28 p.m.: Target conducted an investigation on an employee suspected of stealing products from the store. Target security found that an employee working in the online order fulfillment department was selecting additional items not on the order list and placing them into a carriage. He put the items in separate bags, and at the end of his shift he would take the bags and leave the store.

Police/Fire

Watertown Man Injured Seriously in Snowmobile Accident

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A 30-year-old Watertown man suffered serious injuries when he got into an accident on a snowmobile in Gorham, N.H. on Friday. Konstantin Ioannidis was on a guided group snowmobile tour on Gorham’s Town Access Trail when the accident occurred. According to the Boston Globe article, it was his first time riding one. The injuries occurred when he lost control, struck a tree and was thrown from the snowmobile. He was taken to Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin, N.H.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Gun Shown in Road Rage Incident, Car Window Shattered

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests

None

Incidents

Jan. 19, 3:20 p.m.: A man came into CVS on Main Street and took some razors off the shelf but did not pay for them before leaving. The store manager called Police and gave them a description of the suspect. The man was identified and the 38-year-old Medford man was summonsed to Waltham District Court on a charge of shoplifting.

Business

Athenahealth to Pay $18.25 Million for Taking Kickbacks

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The following release was provided by the U.S. Department of Justice:

A national electronic health records (EHR) technology vendor based in Watertown, Massachusetts, athenahealth Inc. (Athena), has agreed to pay $18.25 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by paying unlawful kickbacks to generate sales of its EHR product, athenaClinicals, the Justice Department announced today. In a complaint filed in conjunction with today’s settlement, the United States alleged that Athena violated the False Claims Act and the Anti-Kickback Statute through three marketing programs. First, Athena invited prospective and existing customers to “Concierge Events,” providing free tickets to and amenities at sporting, entertainment, and recreational events, including trips to the Masters Tournament and the Kentucky Derby with complimentary travel and luxury accommodations, meals, and alcohol. Second, Athena paid kickbacks to its existing customers under a “Lead Generation” program designed to identify and refer new prospective clients to Athena. Under this program, Athena paid up to $3,000 to existing customers for each new client that signed up for Athena services, regardless of how much time, if any, the existing customer spent speaking to or meeting with the new client. Finally, Athena entered into deals with competing vendors that were discontinuing their EHR technology offerings to refer their clients to Athena.

Police/Fire

Watertown Man Arrested on Charge of Acting as Unregistered Agent for Iran

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The Department of Justice announced the arrest of a Watertown man on charges of acting as an unregistered agent for the Iranian government. Kaveh Lotfolah Afrasiabi, 63 of Watertown, allegedly gave propaganda to members of Congress and the media, and has received money from an account linked to Iran’s United Nations mission. The charges were unsealed in a Brooklyn Federal Court, but Afrasiabi was arrested on Monday by the FBI and was due to be arraigned in Boston Federal Court on Tuesday. According to a MassLive.com story, Afrasiabi entered the U.S. in 1973 and became a lawful permanent resident in 1984. He has taught at several universities — including full-time at Tehran University, Boston University and Bentley College, and as a visiting scholar at Harvard and University of California, Berkeley — and graduated from University of Massachusetts for undergrad and got his masters degree and doctorate in political science from Boston University.