Inspector General Calls out Former Norfolk Officials

Two former Norfolk town officials wasted and misused public funds, an Office of the Inspector General investigation has found. The OIG launched an investigation into the former Director of the Department of Public Works (DPW) following a tip made to the OIG’s fraud hotline. The investigation revealed not only that the former DPW Director failed to follow basic public procurement and fiscal management practices, which resulted in the misuse and waste of public funds, but also the former Town Administrator failed to supervise the DPW Director and abused his use of vacation time to his financial advantage.

The OIG also found that the Select Board, as constituted at that time, provided inadequate supervision of the Town Administrator in place during that time period.

These, and other findings, were detailed in a letter from Inspector General Jeffrey S. Shapiro sent today to the Norfolk town administrator and Select Board chair.

“The town’s absence of strong internal controls, coupled with the lack of a designated, qualified purchasing official and lax or nonexistent oversight by town officials, allowed public resources to be wasted,” IG Shapiro said. “I appreciate the concerned individuals who reported this misconduct to our fraud hotline, and I encourage anyone who suspects that a public employee is misusing, stealing, or otherwise abusing public resources to please contact us.”

In 2025, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) received complaints alleging that Blair Crane, Norfolk’s former DPW Director, made multiple costly equipment purchases without following state procurement law and local Norfolk procedures. Further, the complaints alleged that he abused his position by directing town employees to use town equipment and personnel to provide services for the benefit of a former town official who lives in a neighboring town.

During the OIG’s investigation of these complaints, the OIG received additional complaints alleging that Norfolk’s former Town Administrator, Justin Casanova-Davis, misused vacation time for his personal benefit.

The investigation found that former DPW Director Crane:

Failed to properly conduct public procurements, including purchasing emergency vehicle lights and skid steer attachments;

Leased a Kubota front wheel loader, at a cost of nearly $100,000, outside of the required town procurement process, which required, among other things, a Town Meeting authorization vote;

Wasted over $80,000 in public funds and violated procurement laws when he purchased a used tub grinder that never became operational;

Misused public funds to purchase personal clothing, which was not allowed under his contract;

Inappropriately directed the use of town resources for the private benefit of a former town official at his out-of-town residence; and

Improperly used funds from the town’s Enterprise Water Fund for expenses not related to the Water Division.

In addition, the OIG determined that former Town Administrator Casanova-Davis failed to supervise and take action in response to Crane’s misuse of town resources.

The OIG investigation also found that Casanova-Davis abused vacation time for his financial advantage by underreporting his vacation time, using sick time inappropriately, and liberally using an unverifiable timekeeping code. For example, Casanova-Davis used sick time while on personal trips outside the country because he wasn’t feeling well while on his vacation.

The OIG also found that the then-Select Board did not provide appropriate oversight of the Town Administrator, a direct report to the Board.

“The Commonwealth’s governmental bodies must act as effective stewards of public funds and properly control and account for all public assets. The town must work to ensure that state law and town policies on procurements, remote work, vacation, and oversight of town employees (including the DPW Director and the Town Administrator) are properly discharged.” IG Shapiro said, “Controls around the spending of public dollars should reflect the obligation public officials have to be strong stewards of these public resources, which are so limited.”

The OIG’s investigatory letter had nine findings and 15 recommendations for the town and Select Board to implement within time periods ranging from 30, 60, or 180 days.

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is an independent agency that prevents and detects fraud, waste, and abuse of public funds and public property on the state and municipal levels. If you suspect fraud, waste, or abuse of public resources, you are encouraged to contact the OIG’s confidential fraud hotline by calling 1-800-322-1323, emailing IGO-FightFraud@mass.gov or visiting our website at maoig.gov.